Alter Ego Exclusives for The Indie Shop - San Antonio October 2017

Press Sample/Review

Hi everyone! I'm pleased to be back with you sharing some beautiful exclusives from Alter Ego for October's Indie Shop in San Antonio. 

There are two exclusives from Cynthia for the event called It'll Only Hurt For a Moment or Two and History Prefers Legends to Men. 

These shades were inspired by the film Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter and are very fitting with a vampire theme, 

It'll Hurt For Only a Moment or Two is a deep red creme inspired by the blood red drips on the credit scene. I used 3 thin coats (because of my stubborn ridges on one nail) but I think you could definitely use 2 coats for full coverage as well. This will be a great go-to for me. I love a good vampy red! 

Alter Ego - It'll Only Hurt For a Moment or Two - The Indie Shop San Antonio

Alter Ego - It'll Only Hurt For a Moment or Two - The Indie Shop San Antonio

Photos are without topcoat and look how shiny it is! No issues whatsoever with formula or application. This is the bag exclusive and only available at The Indie Shop event on October 13th.

History Prefers Legends to Men is a clear base full of silver micro shreds based on Lincoln's silver axe in the movie. Another great fit with the vampire/silver bullets/silver axe theme.

I used one coat over It'll Hurt For Only a Moment or Two plus topcoat to finish. The shreds are quite dense as you can see over the dark base. I love it, lots of sparkle and I think I will enjoy using this as a topper over various colours and gradients too. 

Alter Ego - History Prefers Legends to Men - The Indie Shop San Antonio

And this is how it looks alone, in 3 coats plus topcoat. 

Alter Ego - History Prefers Legends to Men - The Indie Shop San Antonio

History Prefers Legends to Men will be available online in the Alter Ego store on October 13th to coincide with the event. Be sure to pick it up if you want it as it is LE!

Where to Buy:
Alter Ego

Alter Ego on Social Media:
Facebook 
Instagram

The products in this post were provided for my honest review

Alter Ego Polish Pickup Exclusive - Greta Gremlin - Swatches & Review

Press Sample/Review

Hi everyone! Today I have the exclusive from Alter Ego for this month's Polish Pick Up to show you! 

The October Polish Pickup theme is 'monsters and mythological creatures' and Cynthia took her inspiration from the Gremlins movies! I think this is a fun and unique take on the theme.

Greta Gremlin is of course based on the character from the films and is a lizard green base with yellow undertones packed with gold flakies as well as blue and red microglitter inspired by her makeup! 

Alter Ego - Greta Gremlin - October 2017 Polish Pickup Exclusive

I used 2 coats plus topcoat. The formula and application were great and I really love this mix of colours. I feel like this is a great shade for autumn as well. 

Alter Ego - Greta Gremlin - October 2017 Polish Pickup Exclusive

Greta Gremlin will be available from October 6th-9th along with polishes from other brands with the 'monsters and mythological creatures' theme!

Polish Pickup:
Store
Facebook

Alter Ego:
Store
Facebook 
Instagram

The products in this post were provided for my honest review

Alter Ego - Polish Con Chicago 2017 Exclusives - Swatches & Review

Press Sample/Review

Hi everyone! Today I have the Alter Ego Polish Con Chicago exclusives for you to check out!

Da Bears is the show exclusive which will only be available to those attending the event in Chicago on September 23. This is a complex polish inspired by the Chicago Bears colours which are navy, white and orange. The polish is packed with blue and white flakes and orange micro glitter. It's so unique! I used 3 coats plus topcoat. I think this one would also look good layered over various colours. 

Alter Ego - Da Bears - Polish Con Chicago 2017 Exclusive

Alter Ego - Da Bears - Polish Con Chicago 2017 Exclusive

Hot Times in Old Town will be available only in the VIP bag for the event. This is a clear base filled with rainbow coloured dot glitter. Super fun as a topper over various colours. I used one coat dabbed over a black creme and finished with topcoat.  

Alter Ego - Hot Times in Old Town - Polish Con Chicago 2017 Exclusive

As previously mentioned, these two polishes will only be available at the Polish Con itself but do check out the Alter Ego store for other polishes and various other products!

Where to Buy:
Alter Ego

Alter Ego on Social Media:
Facebook 
Instagram

The products in this post were provided for my honest review

Alter Ego - Princess Rose - Holo-maniacs Exclusive

Hi everyone! Today I have a this month's Holo-maniacs group custom from Alter Ego to share with you! Each month the Holo-manics Facebook group has some inspiration pictures and customs exclusively made for the group. This month, Alter Ego has created the beautiful Princess Rose based on this picture.

Princess rose is a purple holo microglitter filled with gold shimmer and flakies. It matches the inspiration picture perfectly!!! I used 2 coats plus topcoat. 

Alter Ego Princess Rose

The glitter really sparkles in sunlight and I love how prominent the shimmer and flakes are. Formula and application were great.

Alter Ego Princess Rose

Alter Ego Princess Rose - Shade

You can purchase Princess Rose from the Alter Ego store this month only, so don't miss out!

Where to Buy:
Alter Ego

Alter Ego on Social Media:
Facebook 
Instagram

A England Sargent's Vision Collection - Swatches & Review

Hi everyone! Today I FINALLY have my swatches of the A England Sargent's Vision collection to show you. I ordered the complete collection as always as soon as it was available and swatched them almost immediately. But life happened and I'm only just getting my post up now so I hope you can forgive me for being so late and that you appreciate the post all the same! 

A England - Sargent's Vision Collection

So here goes! 

Carnation Lily Lily Rose - 'Angelic translucent azure radiating delicate multiple hues' 
This is one of my favourites of the collection for sure. At first I thought it was going to be quite similar to some other silver holographics and particularly A England Encore Margot from the Ballerina Collection. Yet I was quite wrong. Carnation Lily Lily Rose is unique in my collection and has a shimmer and multiple different colour flashes. It is hard to describe and I hope you can see what I mean from my photos! I used 2 coats, no topcoat. The formula was perfect. 

A England - Carnation Lily Lily Rose

A England - Carnation Lily Lily Rose

A England - Carnation Lily Lily Rose

Nocturne - 'Twilight black with a red nuance revealing at times its prismatic spectacle' 
My other favourite from the collection. I absolutely love a good black nail polish, especially Adina's. She does them so well and each with something different. I didn't even realise before receiving this collection that Nocturne isn't just black. It is an extremely dark red-plum black and the multicoloured flashes in the holo peeking through are stunning. I used 2 coats and no topcoat. Formula and application were perfect. 

A England - Nocturne

A England - Nocturne

A England - Nocturne

Symphony in Blue and Silver - 'Dreamy powder blue enhanced by flashes of green and silver light'
A lovely soft blue with the signature A England scattered holo. I wore this one as a full mani before reswatching and noticed that my topcoat (Revlon fast dry) dulled the holo somewhat. Next time, I will sandwich my topcoat between layers of colour. Either way, the effect is still beautiful. I used 2 coats but found that the first coat was a bit patchy and dragged over my topcoat. It reminded me of older formula holos which required the aqua base. I might try that with this one for easier application next time but everything evened out just fine with the second coat anyway. Photos here are without topcoat. 

A England - Symphony in Blue and Silver

A England - Symphony in Blue and Silver

Symphony in Green and Gold - 'Sublime honeydew green with hints of gold reflections'
A totally unique green in my collection. Very soft and perfect for spring and summer. Application was good also. I used 2 coats and no topcoat.  

A England - Symphony in Green and Gold

A England - Symphony in Green and Gold

Overall, this is another beautiful collection from A England. I don't expect much else from Adina to be honest. Remains for sure one of my favourite brands and I'm reminded why with each new release. I'd highly recommend Carnation Lily Lily Rose and Nocturne if you wanted to just pick up a couple of these. 

I hope you enjoyed the swatches!

Where to Buy:
A England (UK shipping only)
Various retailers (see list here)

A England on Social Media:
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter

OPI Ski Teal We Drop & NfuOh 52

Hi everyone! Finally posting this mani I wore a good while back when I was wearing nothing but flakies!

This is OPI Ski Teal We Drop, a vibrant teal creme topped with NfuOh 52. If you're a regular reader, you might know already that I'm in love with the NfuOh flakie polishes. I was so sad that they discontinued them, thankfully I had managed to find them all by then!

OPI Ski Teal We Drop & NfuOh 52

I really love this combo and how the flakes pop against the darker base. Ski Teal We Drop is an amazing OPI must have I think. I love it alone as well and the formula is great. The best teal polish I own for sure. 

OPI Ski Teal We Drop & NfuOh 52

Where to Buy:
OPI - Various retailers
NfuOh - Various retailers (Mine were purchased from the Pshiiit Boutique, Atouts Charme and various beauty supply stores in the US) Though as mentioned, the flakies (if not others as well) are now discontinued.

STELLA CHROMA - Premier Collection - Swatches & Review

Press Sample/Review

Hi everyone! Today I have a super exciting post for you! You may know that one of my favourite indie brands is/was Paint Box Polish. Well Pam behind Paint Box Polish decided to rebrand and Paint Box Polish has now become STELLA CHROMA. New name, new image and new site but the same great polishes! You'll find all the useful links and info at the bottom of this post along with some info about the launch giveaway being held!

STELLA CHROMA - The Premier Collection

This is the first collection from STELLA CHROMA. The Premier Collection is made up of 3 polishes, Savvy, Grit and Hustle. So let's get to it! Here are my swatches!

Grit - what a holo lover's dreams are made of! Rich cobalt blue that is loaded with rainbow holographic glitter that wows in the sun. There is also a blue shimmer that adds interest in the shade. Opaque in 2 coats. 15 mL bottle retails for $13

2 coats plus topcoat. Absolutely nothing to say about the formula except that it was perfection. I'm not even obsessed with holo polishes but I fell in love with this one and already want to wear it again! 

STELLA CHROMA - Grit

STELLA CHROMA - Grit

Hustle - a fierce shimmery violet shade that is enhanced by a generous amount of gold flakes. Goes on like butter and looks great in the shade and the sun! Opaque in two coats. 15 mL bottle retails for $12

2 coats plus topcoat. Another fabulous formula. I'm a huge purple fan so this one is love for me. I don't have any other polish like it in my collection. I love the golden flecks against the purple base. The sheen on this polish in sunlight is stunning. I also took pics in the shade so you can really see how the golden flakes stand out. 

STELLA CHROMA - Hustle

STELLA CHROMA - Hustle

Savvy - a bright pink polish with a bit of pink shimmer and shiny, multichromatic flakies that really pop! Those gorgeous flakies lay flat on the nail and are easier to remove than traditional glitter. Opaque in 2 coats. 15 mL bottle retails for $12

2 coats plus topcoat. Another great formula and unique polish. I love all of Pam's polishes with flakes, she does them so well. These multichrome ones pop against the base colour and catch the light beautifully. The pink base really glows! 

STELLA CHROMA -Savvy

STELLA CHROMA -Savvy

I absolutely love the whole STELLA CHROMA image. The labels and cards feel luxurious and very 'boutique'. I couldn't resist creating some nail art inspired by the cards and STELLA CHROMA logo. I did a smoosh marble using Grit and some Paint Box Polishes from before the rebrand. I used What 'Choo Fell Over For?, Blue Above The Bay, Won't The Muggles See Us? to mimic the watercolours on the card. I applied dots of each colour onto my stamper and 'smooshed' it onto my nails. I then finished with topcoat. 

STELLA CHROMA - Smoosh Marble with Grit

STELLA CHROMA - Smoosh Marble with Grit

I then decided to add the cute little stars from the logo afterwards onto my middle fingernail with some gold polish. I used an old Konad stamping plate with tiny star designs. 

STELLA CHROMA - Smoosh Marble with Grit & stamped stars

STELLA CHROMA - Smoosh Marble with Grit & stamped stars

One of the big changes that will come with STELLA CHROMA is charity! Pam is a Nurse Practitioner by day and has nieces that are very interested in the sciences. For those reasons, promoting STEM careers to girls is near and dear to her heart.
Stella Chroma will be partnering with a different organis ation each quarter and donating a portion of sales. The first one is IGNITE (Inspiring Girls Now In Technology Evolution), which is a non-profit that introduces girls in grades 6-12 to technology and engineering careers via various programs in partnership with their schools. More information can be found at their website!

A giveaway is being held to celebrate the rebrand and launch of STELLA CHROMA! The prize is a Coach holographic wristlet.  Making a purchase in the first week of the shop being open counts as an entry. If a customer adds a note to their order stating that a certain person sent them to the site to make that order, the customer and the person will get another entry. STELLA CHROMA will mail the wristlet to the winner!

This collection is so exciting and I can't wait to see what is in store from Pam. The Premier Collection and the STELLA CHROMA brand are launching on June 29th.  

You can use the code THEMANICAFE to get 15% off your order!

I also wanted to remind you again about the Paint Box Polish fan group on Facebook called stella chromatics (which I co-admin). We’d love to have you join if you haven’t already!

Where to Buy:
STELLA CHROMA (code THEMANICAFE for 15% off!)

STELLA CHROMA on Social Media:
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter

The products in this post were provided for my honest review

OPI I Brake For Manicures & Designer...De Better! Dotticure

Hi everyone! Today I have a simple but really pretty mani to show you that I wore a little while ago when I needed to hurry! 

I started out with two coats of OPI I Brake for Manicures. I absolutely love this greyed out dusky plum/brown. I say plum/brown because a lot of swatches I saw of it seem more purple but this really does pull more brown on me than in the bottle. Strange but I love it anyway! Definitely a go-to OPI creme for me. 

OPI I Brake for Manicures & Designer...De Better!

I wanted some nail art but didn't have time for much so I settled on some dots of various sizes at the base of my nails using OPI Designer...De Better! from the Holiday 2011 Muppets collection which is a silver foil with specks of bronze. I really love this shade and was so happy to finally buy it from a friend after kicking myself for not getting it when it released. I finished my nail art with topcoat as always. 

OPI I Brake for Manicures & Designer...De Better!

I really enjoyed wearing this mani and it felt done and nice while being quick and quite neutral if that makes sense. What do you think of it? Are you a fan of dotticures? They're my go-to for a quick nail art!

Where to Buy:
OPI - various retailers

OPI on Social Media: Facebook - Instagram - Twitter

Girly Bits Silver and Gold Chrome Effect Powders

Press Sample/Review

Hi everyone! I'm back with some more of the awesome special effects powders from Girly Bits. Today I'm sharing the Silver and Gold chrome finish powders. 

You've probably all seen the chrome nails which have been posted literally everywhere online by now. The effect is really cool and a lot shinier than chrome polishes.   

I used 2 coats of black gel polish and applied the chrome powders by buffing with my finger. I finished with a coat of Girly Bits Seal The Deal (no wipe UV/LED Gel Soak-off Topcoat).

First up, silver. This is my favourite of the two and I think the more 'classic' chrome look. I love how you can also use the silver over different colours to get a tinted chrome finish. You can see my pink chrome nails here! 

Girly Bits Cosmetics - Silver Chrome Powder

Girly Bits Cosmetics - Silver Chrome Powder

Next up is the gold powder. I find the finish ever so slightly less shiny than the silver but still really awesome. I think I'm just more of a silver fan than gold! This was a fun mani to wear though!
 

Girly Bits Cosmetics - Gold Chrome Powder

Girly Bits Cosmetics - Gold Chrome Powder

The powders are really easy to use and I really love the finish. I got lots of compliments when wearing these. 

What do you think of the chrome look? 

Where to Buy:
Girly Bits Cosmetics

Girly Bits on Social Media: Facebook - Instagram - Twitter - Pinterest - Google+

The Girly Bits products in this post were provided for my honest review.