Mentality Nail Polish: Black Line Holo collex (Part 1)

*Press sample*

Hi everyone! I have an amazing collection of polishes to show you today, I just could not wait any longer! I swatched and edited all last weekend to get these ready for you - but I had a hard time narrowing photos down, so they are broken up into two posts. The second post will go live tomorrow.

Recently, Mentality posted on their Facebook that they were looking for bloggers to swatch for them. I have adored Mentality since the beginning (see embarrassing old swatches from me here and here haha) and I have yet to find a polish of theirs that isn't wonderful. So I thought, what the heck? Why not give it a shot? Never expecting to get picked, considering all the other quality bloggers that would apply. Imagine my shock and awe when Hillary messaged me back saying I was chosen as a regular blogger for Mentality!!! I think I read the email probably 10 times to make sure I was reading it correctly, haha. I am so beyond excited to be included and I hope I can do these gorgeous polishes justice!

The first collection I've been sent to review is called the Black Line Holo collection. I was sold before I even saw them - anything holo is right up my alley! But on top of that, these are absolutely PERFECT fall colors.

In all my excitement, I sorta forgot to take a group shot of the bottles - sorry about that! Here is the photo from Mentality's website showing the entire collection.

I couldn't really put these in order by favorite, because that would be just too hard to do. So, I've arranged these posts alphabetically. Today, I'll be showing you Battle, Combat, Dare, Defy, and Dissent.

First up is Battle, and it is described by Mentality as a dark blue holographic.

Unfortunately, with my work schedule last week, I just could not get many photos in actual sunlight, so the majority of these photos were taken in the lightbox. The holo effect is SO much stronger in actual sunlight. However, I think you can still grasp the beauty of these polishes even indoors!

I used 2 coats of Battle for these photos. In fact, I used 2 coats for all of these polishes. They are very pigmented. I prefer to do 2 coats as a rule just to even out any spots I might have missed on the first coat. I used Mentality's Gloss top coat on all these. I didn't find that the top coat dulled the holo effect on MOST of these - I will let you know which of the ones I think it may have a bit. Battle was unaffected!

Here's a shot in natural lighting, but it was overcast. Even still - check out that sparkle! This is such a gorgeous shade. It would be a perfect backdrop for a galaxy mani, or any nail art involving a night sky. The formula on this, as well as the other polishes was lovely. No issues to report. Dry time was pretty quick, and I didn't experience any trouble with dragging, bald spots, unevenness, staining, etc. The polishes have a glossy finish on their own, but I wanted to try the Gloss topcoat out as well. And, as I mentioned, these are very pigmented and would be great for stamping. 

Because I was (mainly) swatching at night, I also included shots with flash to show off the holographic sparkles. I know a lot of people don't like the looks of photos using flash, but I had to find a way to show you this stunning effect without using the sun! I just love Battle, it is definitely one of my favorites. It's on my toes right now! :o

Next up is Combat - a dark pink holographic, and another one of my favorites - haha, I have a feeling I'm going to be saying that a lot!

Again, I've used 2 coats for these photos, followed by one coat of Mentality Gloss topcoat. Again, no issues to report with formula, dry time was great, and the holo effect is gorgeous!

This polish is one of the more interesting ones to me. It is described by Mentality as a dark pink, and while I can see that, in some lights it looks maroon, purple or even red, so it's kind of like it's full of surprises! This was a tough one to try and photograph - I tried to show it as true to color as I could, but it was being tricky. At first glance, I thought it was similar to Dare, but this one definitely has more pink and purple tones. 

In the flash shot, you can definitely see that it is pink - not red as you will see with Dare. Again, check out that amazing holo sparkle! :)

Here's the one I mentioned - Dare. It is described by Mentality as a dark red holographic.

Definitely not as similar to Combat as I'd originally expected! This one is definitely a true dark red - so perfect for Fall! I love shades like this. Interestingly enough, I mistakenly received TWO bottles of Dare in my package...which is very good news for someone if you stay tuned for tomorrow's post! ;)

Again, the only natural lighting I was able to get was when it was overcast outside. I love how this looks in natural lighting! You can see so many different shades of red, maroon, purple, even blue kinda? This shade has so much depth, it's stunning. It reminds me of crunchy fall leaves. :)

And lastly, a shot with flash - you can really see the red showing through here.

Next we have Defy, a medium grey holographic.

Again, I used 2 coats for this mani plus a coat of Mentality's Gloss. This is one of the polishes that I felt like the topcoat dulled the holo slightly. While you can still see the holographic sparkles, I felt that they were stronger without topcoat. In sunlight, the holo was still pretty strong. Even with a less in your face holo effect, I really like this polish! It's a very pretty metallic grey/silver that would be an awesome base for nail art! It reminds me of robots. :)

Here, with the flash, you can see the holo better, especially on my index finger. Next time I will try without any topcoat! :)

Next up, we have Dissent, a dark yellow holographic. 

Another one which was hard to photograph accurately, especially in certain lighting. Though I know it's described as a dark yellow, it wanted to photograph almost sage greenish on me - it may be because of my skin tone? Or it could be my base coat, Yellow Stopper, sucking some of the yellow out of it. Either way, this is a really unique shade - it's unlike anything I have in my collection. Another great fall color!

I used 2 coats of Dissent, plus 1 coat of Gloss. Formula was great again - no issues to report!

Here's a shot in natural lighting that is a bit more true to color.

And lastly, the flash photo. I love how at this angle, the camera captures a sort of blackened look toward the top of the nail. It makes it look like I did a gradient when I didn't. :) You can definitely see more of the yellow tone here.

Those are all the swatches I have for you today, the rest will be up tomorrow!
I want to take a quick second and talk about the Gloss topcoat from Mentality that I used for these swatches. When I did my first swatch, I had to take it off and start over because I forgot, or didn't realize that this is NOT a fast dry top coat. So there is a little disclaimer for you lol. I'm so used to my HK Girl that I went about doing housework and typing and other things soon after painting my nails and they were smudged after maybe 2 mins. So I just wanted to let you all know that so you don't make the same mistake I made. If you take the time to let it dry though, like while you're just watching TV or something not using your hands, this is a fantastic topcoat. I would say it takes about 10 minutes to FULLY dry. It's thin (not goopy), which is nice, and is so easy to apply. The best part? It doesn't pull off the nail polish as you glide it on. It is specifically made as a topcoat for over stamping nail art, because it will not smudge!! I found it to be true even with the swatches I did, because usually if I run the topcoat (HK or SV) brush over the same spot twice, a lot of the polish comes with it. It was so nice that that wasn't an issue with Gloss. And it left the mani with a smooth, glossy look as the name implies.

I hope you've enjoyed my swatches, I had so much fun reviewing this collection. I think it offers something for everyone - there are some more neutral shades while also offering some vibrant, eye-catching jewel tones. And who doesn't love holo?

The Black Line Holo collection retails for 65.00 as a set, which you can purchase here, and the polishes retail for 7.75 a piece if purchased individually. So you'd be saving 4.75 if you bought the entire set - just saying! Mentality has tons of other great polishes available as well, including flawless stamping polishes, jellies, holos, mattes and tons more...so be sure you look over their website. And as always, shipping is free (within US)!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on Part 1 of the Black Line Holo collection! Which of the above caught your eye the most? Of these 5, I think Combat is my favorite! Make sure you stop by tomorrow to see the rest of the collection and something extra! ;) Thanks for reading! <3

Kelly

The products in this post were provided to me in exchange for my honest review and opinion. I am not being compensated in any way for this post. Please see my Disclosure Statement for more information.

Mentality: Apex & Revelry

Hi guys, hope your week is starting off okay. Mine's been good - very busy but otherwise can't complain! I do know I've been loving this cooler fall weather; I've gotten to break out some of my favorite hoodies! I love hoodie/cardigan weather. Fall is definitely my favorite - that's why we are planning a fall wedding for next year. :)

Anyway - the cooler temperatures have inspired me to show some gorgeous polishes that remind me of fall. The two polishes I've swatched for you today are from Mentality. All of their polishes are AMAZING, but these two really caught my eye because orange is my favorite color. 

I originally bought Apex because I thought it was a kind of orange colored holo, but it turned out to be SO much better than that!

Apex is described by Mentality as a sparkling red copper holographic stained glass polish with gold glass accents. Let me just say that the amount of holographic goodness in this polish is SO unbelievably strong - almost too much for my brain (let alone camera) to comprehend!! I mean, yeah, it looked pretty in the bottle, but once I put it on, I think I literally exclaimed, WHOA! :O I have a video up at my Instagram if you're interested to see this baby in action.

This is 3 coats, but I easily could have gotten away with 2. 3 is just kinda habit for me, but Apex is pretty opaque even over stained nails. These photos are even shown with HK Girl topcoat - so you can see that topcoat does nothing to lessen the holo effect. :)

This really might be the strongest holo effect out of all the polishes I own. I could not stop staring at it. It's a must have!

Next up is a Revelry, a super fun microglitter that I picked up on a whim a while back and later realized that it is the perfect Halloween polish! Halloween is clearly my favorite holiday, so I fell in love.

Revelry is made up of orange, silver, and black microglitters in a clear base. It can be layered or can easily be built up to full opacity on its ow, which is how I've shown it here. I used my trusty Yellow Stopper basecoat for easy removal later, 3 coats of Revelry and HK Girl topcoat. The surface was completely smooth - it's not super gritty even without topcoat, which is nice. Another thing I loved about this was ease of application. A lot of times with microglitters, you can get clumps, an even surface, and the final mani looking kind of chunky on the nail. Revelry was a dream to apply - the polish seemed to just glide on, no clumping, no dragging, no bald spots. All the glitters dispersed evenly, no dabbing needed. I love when a polish formula surprises you like that!

When Mentality released the microglitters, they had a matte line and a sparkly line. This one is clearly from the Sparkly line! When the sun hits it, it is blindingly glitzy - I love it! I definitely see myself wearing this one a lot over the upcoming season.

Overall, I could not be happier with these two polishes. Not only are the formulas both on point, but the color choices are perfect and the sparkle is unbelievable. These are those kind of polishes that when you wear them, strangers grab your hands and ooh and ahh (which is awkward, but kinda cool in a way).

I don't believe these two are available anymore (I could be wrong!), but be sure to check out Mentality's shop to see their huge array of polishes in a variety of finishes and pretty much any color you can think of and then some! Also, follow them on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) to keep up to date on new collections and sales! <3

What do you think of these two? Which is your favorite - I'd love to hear below!

Thanks for reading,
Kelly

*These polishes were purchased by me, and the above review reflects my honest opinions. I am not being compensated in any way for this post. Please see my disclosure statement for more information.*

Random Skittle mani with Mentality and Nail Vinyls

Hi everyone, happy Sunday! Today I have a super random mani to share with you. A while back, I had a couple new Mentality shades (Overcast and Siren) to try out and I had no clue what I wanted to do with them, so I sort of made it up as I went along. 

I had already put on a base of OPI Where's My Czechbook? with an accent of Dollish Polish Inconceivable on my ring finger. Then, I broke out my Nail Vinyls. I used my lightning bolts, zebra print, and mini chevrons to create most of the looks here - on my middle finger I just used two squares of Scotch tape to tape off the checkers.

Then, I carefully painted over the vinyls with Overcast on my index and ring, Siren on my pinky, and both on my middle. I carefully peeled the vinyls off while the polish was still wet. Then, after letting those dry for a while to avoid smearing, I topped it all off with a coat of Seche Vite to seal it all in!

Even though this look was kind of all over the place, I really liked that about it! It was fun and eye-catching, and I got to try my new colors out. I fell in love with Overcast, it's such an interesting shade. You don't really see how strong the shimmer is until you get it in certain lights. And Siren is an amazing, vampy holo - perfect for the fall. Here's one more shot with flash.

I really need to get some more Nail Vinyls, there are so many different shapes I haven't tried yet. I've been most interested in getting some stars, I think those would be so fun to play with! They're so easy to use and it makes your mani look way more complicated than it truly was. :) And don't forget to check Mentality's shop for superb quality mattes, holos, textures, you name it - and they are all incredibly reasonably priced. Visit their Facebook page here to stay up to date on new collections and sales! :)

What do you think of this mani? Which Mentality shade do you like best? Which Nail Vinyl shape is your favorite?? I'd love to hear below!
<3 Kelly

An InLinkz Link-up

Sinful Colors Ombre

Hi everyone! So I've been going through the vault and there are still some bright, summery manis that I never got around to sharing. So, I've decided to post some of them to fight off all this chilly, dreary weather we've been having here in Ohio!

I got some new Sinful Colors polishes a few months back, and a handful of them stood out to me as a great range of colors for an ombre look. It's been a while, but I'm 90% sure the colors are, from index to pinky: Island Coral, Hazard, Anchors Away, On the Bright Side. I used HK Girl topcoat.

To top it off, I added some fun summery water decals from Sinful Colors that I picked up at Walgreen's. I added another coat of HK Girl after that to seal it all in.

I really liked this mani, it was bright and fun and instantly put me in a good mood. I LOVE fall, but I felt kind of cheated out of a summer this year. So I'm trying to hold onto it for a bit with these manis from the vault!

What do you think of this look? I'd love to hear below!!

Thanks for reading,
Kelly

Nail Challenge Collaborative: Geometric #2 (Tribal)

Hi guys! I've got my second geometric look for the Nail Challenge Collaborative today! A while back, I got a Nail Art Society kit that included Sally Hansen nail art pens in black and yellow. I had a heck of a time trying to use these pens on a regular mani, so I thought, why not try it over a texture? On a glossy, flat surface, the nail art pen polish seemed to slide all over and pool into the cuticles. I couldn't get it to stay where I put it and it was so frustrating. Check out the difference when I used a textured base...

I used 2 coats of China Glaze Bump and Grind to start with. Once that was dry, I used the Sally Hansen nail art pen in black to draw some tribal designs. When using a textured base, the nail art pen's polish adhered much better! It didn't drip around or pool, it felt like using an actual pen or marker. It was super easy to get the designs I wanted. I did have a little trouble with pooling in the cuticle on my middle finger, but it was user error that time - I got too close to the cuticle lol.

I loved this design and I thought it was so different and eye catching - especially these colors together! I can't wait to try some other freehand designs with these pens on textured polishes. I think a matte finish might work too, but I haven't tried it yet. I just think a glossy, topcoated design was too slippery for the polish to hold onto.

And, for good measure, one more with flash! I really love this hot pink. I like these textured polishes by China Glaze too. The creme look is something different. They're not scratchy so they don't catch on your clothes or in your hair either! :)

What do you think of this mani? Do you have any tips and tricks for using the Sally Hansen nail art pens? I'd love to hear!
And don't forget to check out the other ladies' looks for week 2! :)

An InLinkz Link-up

Romeo & Juliet duo by Dollish Polish and Jindie Nails

Hi everyone! I hope you had a great weekend. I'm so not ready to go back to work. :(

Today I have one from the vault to share with you - the Romeo & Juliet duo from Dollish Polish and Jindie Nails!

Back in the spring, Dolly and Jen started their series of duos in the theme "Famous Couples Throughout History". This was the first one and I knew I had to have it!

Juliet was Jindie Nails' contribution to this set. Here's the description:

"A radiant orchid cream/jelly that is opaque in about 2 coats and has a sprinkling of periwinkle, magenta, lilac and lavender metallic small glitters plus navy blue and violet shimmery flakes.  Juliet is opaque in about 2 coats and looks great worn alone, or with Romeo on top.  "

3 coats worked great for my long nails. The formula was perfectly smooth and the glitters went on without issue. I used Seche Vite topcoat.

The second half of the duo, Romeo, is just as stunning!

Romeo, Dollish Polish's contribution is described as:
"Romeo is a glitter topper jam packed with magenta, purples, blues, violets plus a few matte black hearts, stars and skulls throughout.   Looks great paired with Juliet."

Romeo is very edgy looking - I think it will look great over a lot of different colors too! I saw others get the skulls out, but I didn't manage to get any when applying this polish. Next time, I plan to let the bottle sit upside down for a while before application and do some fishing for skulls! :) I would have this time, but I didnt realize they were in there until I saw other blogger's photos.
These photos show one easy coat of Romeo over Juliet. I did some slight placement of the hearts and stars just using the polish brush. These shapes came out no problem! :)

This is such a gorgeous duo, unfortunately it's no longer available! You can still buy Juliet, however, as Jen had some leftover stock. Check out Jindie Nails shop to pick up Juliet and browse the rest of her creations! And don't forget to check out Dollish Polish as well. I haven't heard anything quite yet about the next couple to be featured in the Jindie/Dollish duo, but I'm sure it will be another amazing set! Keep your eyes peeled to Jindie Nails and Dollish Polish on Facebook to keep up to date!

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this duo! Which polish is your favorite?

<3 Kelly