Alter Ego - Rose Quartz (Polish Pickup January 2018 Crystals and Gemstones)

Press Sample/Review

Hi everyone! I have the January Polish Pick Up Exclusive from Alter Ego for you today!

The first Polish Pick Up theme for 2018 is 'Crystals and Gemstones'. Cynthia from Alter Ego has drawn her inspiration for her contribution from rose quartz.

Rose Quartz is a shimmery pale pink. I used 3 thin coats and finished with topcoat. This shade is pretty unique in my collection and it feels very delicate and girly. The formula was good and easy to work with though a little thicker than I'd generally expect for a shade like this. 

Rose Quartz will be available from January 1st at 11am EST until January 8th at 11:59pm EST along with polishes from other brands with the 'Crystals and Gemstones' theme!

Polish Pickup:
Store
Facebook

Alter Ego:
Store
Facebook 
Instagram

The products in this post were provided for my honest review

OPI Negative Space

Hi everyone! Today I have a funky negative space mani for you! I often admire negative space manis on others and don't often think to do them myself! 

I created this look using OPI Alpine Snow, the perfect white creme, and Pink Flamenco which a hot pink creme. 

I applied my base coat then used some paper hole reinforcements on my nails before applying Alpine Snow at the cuticles and Pink Flamenco on the rest of my nails. The hole reinforcements are a good option for french manis or negative space designs but you can also get vinyls. This is what I usually have in my polish stuff so that's what I used. They peel off nicely and the shape is perfect. As usual I finished off with a coat of topcoat. 

I kind of like the look of this mani even though I was a little rushed. I had originally wanted to freehand over the negative space but ended up leaving it like this. I like the contrast though! What do you think of it? Do you like negative space manis?

Where to Buy:
OPI - Various retailers

OPI on Social Media: Facebook - Instagram - Twitter

OPI DS Glamour

Hi everyone! Another quick swatch post for you today but of a stunner! This is the legendary OPI DS Glamour. Unfortunately I didn't own this since its release but managed to get hold of it for sale (for above retail...) and decided to treat myself. This was years back but somehow its never made it onto the blog! 

DS Glamour is a rich holographic blue and the formula is perfection. I know there are other blue holos out there but honestly I don't own a lot and I am happy to have this in the few I do have for sure. I'm an OPI addict and the brand is the reason I got so into nail polish. 

I used 2 coats of DS Glamour and topcoat. Unfortunately the sun didn't want to come out much for photos but I did manage to catch it for just a couple of photos. 

What do you think of this one? Do you love the DS Series as well? 

Where to Buy:
OPI - Various retailers (though as mentioned, DS Glamour is no longer available but you may be able to find it second-hand) 

OPI on Social Media: Facebook - Instagram - Twitter

Enchanted Polish - Scintealliant

Hi everyone! Today is another quick swatch post for you. Recently, I've really been enjoying a good plain polish almost as much as wearing nail art... 

This beauty probably doesn't need much introduction. Scintealliant was an LE collaboration polish between Enchanted Polish and the Pshiiit Boutique (pretty much the best European nail polish stockist and blogger, hi Camille if ever you see this!)

Scintealliant, as you can gather from the name, is a stunning teal holo and the obvious choice from Camille who loves this colour. The formula is excellent and the colour is just so rich and vibrant. I'm not necessarily a holo fanatic but this is one of the best in my collection for sure. 

Unfortunately, like with many colours from Enchanted Polish, Scintealliant is no longer available to purchase directly but you may be able to pick it up second-hand. 

Where to Buy: 
Enchanted Polish and other stockists (Scintealliant was LE as noted above so not sure if it will come back) 

Enchanted Polish on Social Media: Facebook - Instagram - Twitter

Girly Bits - Ooh La La (The Indie Shop 2016 Limited Edition)

Hi everyone! I have a short and sweet swatch post for you. Unfortunately it's a polish that was LE but I feel like it deserves a share anyway even if I was slow getting around to it. I've worn this a couple of times which is pretty good considering the amount of polishes and untrieds I have...

Girly Bits Ooh La La was a limited-edition for The Indie Shop in November 2016 (I know, I'm way late!) and is packed full of ultrachrome flakes that shift from fuchsia to green as well as red and silver microglitters and pink shimmer! I used 3 coats of Ooh La La alone and topped with topcoat but I've seen swatches of it layered over other colours. I'll have to try playing with some base colours too as I really love this polish. Pam always knows how to make the best and most complex, unique polishes!

What do you think of this colour? Did you pick it up when it was released?

Again, I'm sorry this colour is no longer available but do check out Girly Bits for other polishes just as gorgeous as this.

Where to Buy:
Girly Bits Cosmetics

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

Matte Metallic Stamping - OPI Miami Beet & China Glaze Admire

Hi everyone! Today I have another mani 'from the vault' to share with you. I'm slowly catching up and getting things posted that I wore a long time ago! 

I loved this mani and if you're a regular reader, you might have noticed that I don't wear matte nails very often, I'm definitely more of a shiny, glossy topcoat kinda girl. But here is a rare exception. 

I started out with 2 coats of OPI Miami Beet which is just perfection and a 'classic' to me. I then stamped with China Glaze Admire (a metallic pink which works perfectly for stamping) and Emily de Molly EDM01 plate, . I finished with topcoat then a Butter London matte topcoat. I like the fact that it's metallic but matte. Like how I love flakies matte too. Much more interesting to me than just a plain matte polish. 

What do you think of it? Are you more of a matte or shiny topcoat fan? 

Where to Buy:
OPI & China Glaze- Various retailers
Emily de Molly

OPI on Social Media: Facebook - Instagram - Twitter
China Glaze on Social Media: Facebook - Instagram - Twitter
Emily de Molly on Social Media: Facebook - Instagram - Twitter - Pinterest

A England Sample & Nocturne Stamping

Hi everyone! Today I have a bit of a special polish from my collection to show you. It's quite basic, a white creme, but special to me as it was a gift from Adina when I got to meet her during a visit to London. I mentioned how I wished she would make a white creme with the excellent formula of her other polishes and she had this in her treasure chest of samples and insisted that I have it. I am so grateful and it is a lovely souvenir of my visit. 

I used 2 coats of the white sample and decided to turn it into a black and white mani with some stamping using Nocturne and MoYou Pro XL 18 plate. I finished with topcoat as always. It's not my best stamping ever I have to admit but it was a while ago and I like the effect anyway despite the flaws. 

Unfortunately the white polish isn't available to buy but do check out Nocturne and the other A England beauties!

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

A England on Social Media: Facebook - Instagram - Twitter

OPI Casino Royale & Subtle Stamping with A England Her Rose Adagio

Hi everyone! Today's post features some subtle stamping. It's been a while since I did something more subtle and I loved wearing this quick mani I did for the weekend recently.

I started out with an old favourite, OPI Casino Royale, which as you can guess is a colour I absolutely LOVE. This plum creme has a perfect formula and application is a breeze. I used 2 coats. I know we are mostly obsessed with indies these days but I'll always be an OPI lover, especially for cremes. OPI is what got me into nail polish and hooked and I still love seeing their new collections. Same excitement as always. Who's with me? 

I then used A England Her Rose Adagio from the Ballerina collection and the Let's Doodle 01 plate by Lina Nail Art Supplies to stamp the flowers. I finished with topcoat as always. 

I like how the stamping stood out most in the sun but was still quite delicate and discreet. What do you think? 

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

OPI on Social Media: Facebook - Instagram - Twitter
A England on Social Media: Facebook - Instagram - Twitter

Black French & Roses

Hi everyone! Today I have something a little bit different for you. As my nails were finally a bit longer, I really wanted to wear a french mani. I decided on a black french to make it a bit funky with some handpainted roses. I was loosely inspired by my new Dr Martens! 

I started out with a coat of Essie BBF Best Boyfriend on all my nails to even out the colour a little then freehanded the french tips using A England Camelot. I then used acrylic paints and a fine detail brush to paint the roses and finished with some tiny dots of Essie Good as Gold for a metallic accent then topcoat as always. 

I really loved how these turned out. It has been ages since I wore a french mani but I still love them just as much as ever, especially as a base for nail art. What do you think of this mani? 

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

A England on Social Media: Facebook - Instagram - Twitter
Essie on Social Media: Facebook - Instagram - Twitter

OPI Pastel Gradient & MAC Just Jewels

Hi everyone! I have some nails from the vault of forgotten photos to share with you today. I wore this a long time ago and never got around to posting it but it seems too pretty not to share. 

OPI Gradient & MAC Just Jewels

I used 3 pastel OPI shades which I'm actually forgetting the names of for sure. I know for sure I used Mod About You (pale pink) and I think the lilac and blue are You're Such A BudaPest and What's With The Cattitude? 

In any case, I started with a base of Mod About You and used a triangular makeup sponge to create the gradient. I topped with a coat of MAC Just Jewels, which you might have seen me post before. I love this polish, so super shimmery! I feel like these fit with the current unicorn trend/obsession between the pastel gradient with the shimmer and glitter of the topper. I topped with normal topcoat to finish. 

OPI Gradient & MAC Just Jewels

What do you think of this? This MAC polish just makes me so happy every time I wear it! 

Where to Buy:
OPI - Various retailers
M.A.C (though unfortunately this was an LE, I think there are some similar polishes though from time to time)

OPI on Social Media: Facebook - Instagram - Twitter
M.A.C on Social Media: Facebook - Instagram -  Twitter

Alter Ego - Mystery Shopper

Press Sample/Review

Hi everyone! Today I have an exclusive from Alter Ego for the Indie Brand Collective. 

I wasn't familiar with this sale concept so I will do my best to explain all the useful info for you! 

Alter Ego participates in this collective which sees makers get together to offer one identical sales code to be used across their stores. The idea is that one sales code is easy to remember and buyers can shop around from the participating shops with just that one code. Although this event has taken place before, this is the first time the organisers have made exclusive products for it.

The Alter Ego exclusive is Mystery Shopper. Cynthia describes it as 'a green micro glitter (green like money) with purple shard glitter (representing the various industries judged by the mystery shopper)'. 

Alter Ego - Mystery Shopper

I used one coat of Mystery Shopper over a black creme and finished with topcoat. The formula was great and there is plenty of glitter in just one coat. I like the green and purple combination and I don't have many polishes with shard glitter but it's kind of cool! I forget how fun a glitter polish can be and how they were so popular just a few years back. This is a nice reminder and I think it would be nice paired with other base colours too. 

Alter Ego - Mystery Shopper

Sorry I wasn't able to get any sunlight shots of this one for you, Winter is fast approaching here which means it's dark most of the time and the weather is not co-operating. I'm hoping to rework my indoor setup to get some better artificially lighted photos for you soon. 

Mystery Shopper will be available along with more exclusives from the other indie brands participating in the sale from November 24th to November 27th (Black Friday to Cyber Monday). The discount code IBCFRIDAY will get you 20% off. 

Alter Ego's regular prices are $4.50 for minis and $9 for full size.

Alter Ego:
Store
Facebook 
Instagram

Indie Brand Collective:
Facebook page
Facebook group

The products in this post were provided for my honest review

Alter Ego - Not A Mother Day (Polish Pick Up December 2017)

Press Sample/Review

Hi everyone! I have the November Polish Pick Up Exclusive from Alter Ego for you today! 

Alter Ego - Not A Mother Day

This month's Polish Pick Up theme is 'Holidays Around The World'. Once again, Cynthia chose something a little outside the box. She originally was going to do a Mother's Day inspired polish but was prompted to do something a little different! Here is what she had to say about her inspiration : 

'The holiday Alter Ego chose really is not a holiday but I am making it one! A member mentioned in the holiday inspo thread that those who cannot be mothers should have a day and another agreed, as I do too. Such a shame that women who truly want children but by whatever life hands them cannot have any children and as much as some would say, “why not adopt”, that is a costly and years long effort most cannot afford. So I went searching for some kind of recognition. After many pages later, all I found was a support group for those are childless-by-circumstance, whatever those circumstances are. Although I never had children, I am old now & thought it may be deemed inappropriate for me to join so all I have is this link. The home page says it is US wide and offers support groups in several cities. “Not A Mother Day” will be the colors of this group’s logo. Please do not burn me at the stake for trying to give comfort, solace and recognition to those who need it.'

This is inspiration photo for the polish. Here is a group for those who are childless by circumstance. This is the group that Cynthia found and she used their logo as the color inspiration for her polish.

Not A Mother Day is a shimmery white full of black and red microglitter. I used 2 coats and finished with topcoat. The finish looks a little textured because of the microglitter but is actually quite smooth with topcoat. I used a thin topcoat but you could also use something thicker like Seche Vite to be sure. 

Alter Ego - Not A Mother Day

Not A Mother Day will be available from December 1st at 11am EST until December 4th at 11:59pm EST along with polishes from other brands with the 'Holidays Around The World' theme!

Polish Pickup:
Store
Facebook

Alter Ego:
Store
Facebook 
Instagram

The products in this post were provided for my honest review