Review: Fantasy Nail Lacquer

Morning, lovelies! Hope you are having a happy Tuesday so far! Unfortunately, today is the day I go back to work after a 5 day vacation, so I could be in better spirits but what can you do?

I know what you can do actually! Take a look at these amazing polishes by Fantasy Nail Lacquers! I was contacted by the wonderful Cassi awhile back and she asked me to review some of her polishes. Of course I said yes, and I was SO excited to receive these pretties!! I'll be showing you Magic, Sapphire Rose, and Semi-Automatic.

First up is Magic. Here's the description from Cassi's Etsy site:

"Magic is a dark gray base full of purple, pink, blue and silver holographic glitters. The glitters shift colors depending on light source. In sunlight, Magic becomes a rainbow on your nails! "

This polish builds up quite nicely on its own, but you could layer one coat over a base coat for quite a different look. In these photos, I've shown 3 coats of Magic alone, with topcoat. I think I prefer it on its own!

Indoor lighting

Outdoors; direct sunlight

OMG RAINBOWS EVERYWHERE! This polish reminds me of fairy dust sprinkled on my nails :)

Indoors; with flash

Outdoors; shade

Next up is Sapphire Rose.
"Sapphire Rose is a royal blue base filled with fine silver holographic glitter. Sapphire Rose does dry semi-matte with texture from the glitter. One coat with a top coat will smooth out the texture as well as add shine."

These photos show 3 coats of Sapphire Rose with no topcoat to show you the matte and semi-textured finish, which actually surprised me! When I put it on, I realized it had a super cool kind of leather/rubber finish, so I left it without topcoat. It was definitely matte, but still sparkled...suede maybe? I don't know, it's just awesome - words are failing me, so just look!

Indoor lighting

Outdoors; direct sunlight

Outdoors; direct sunlight

Outdoors; direct sunlight

I think I definitely prefer this one without topcoat, because I like the finish (I couldn't stop feeling my nails, lol), but I have seen some wonderful swatches of it topcoated on Accio Lacquer if you're interested!

Outdoors; shade

And lastly, my absolute favorite, Semi-Automatic!! In the bottle, I thought this looked like just another gunmetal grey polish. I was SO incredibly wrong! Here's the description and inspiration:
"Semi-Automatic is a deep charcoal gray linear holographic polish. 
The Lawful Line was inspired by some of my favorite television shows as well as in memory of my father, who was in the law enforcement field. 
Semi-Automatic represents the guns carried by the men and women who are dedicated to serving their communities."
All of the following photos show 3 easy coats of Semi-Auto, with topcoat, taken indoors in direct sunlight.

WOW. As soon as dumb Ohio decided to remember was sun is, I popped this baby on and my brain exploded. The holo in this polish is SO amazingly strong - this one I definitely will be ordering a full size bottle of! :)

In my opinion, Cassi has created some seriously amazing polishes here. I was thoroughly pleased with my first experience with Fantasy Nail Lacquers. I highly recommend you check out her Etsy shop and follow her on social media to keep up to date with restocks, new collections, and specials!! Right now, she has a ridiculous deal in her Etsy shop - you can order 3 full size polishes for $20 and/or 3 mini size polishes for $10! You cannot beat that. :)

Fantasy Nail Lacquer on Etsy
Fantasy Nail Lacquer on Facebook
Fantasy Nail Lacquer on Instagram

So what do you think of these? Which is your favorite?? I'd love to hear below. Thanks for reading <3
Kelly

Review: NCLA Nail Wraps

Hi everyone! Today I've got a review post for you. A while back, I was contacted by Sean of Nail Polish Canada and asked to review some of their nail wraps. As I mentioned before, I do not have a lot of experience with nail strips! My first ever experience was with the Kiss Nail Strips I got in my Nail Art Society kit a few months ago, so these NCLA wraps were only my second time trying them. So go easy on me! ;)

Here is the first design I chose - called Aqua.

You get two sheets with 22 stickers each, so there are plenty of sizes for all nails, and definitely enough to do at least 2, more likely 3 manis! I did a bit of trial and error with the sizing since I am new to this, but I ended up wasting a couple by choosing the wrong sizes - oops!

Instructions included were super simple. You choose a strip that fits your nail best, then stick it on and smooth it out. Then, just file off the excess using the included file, and voila - instant nail art! I love how quick and easy it is - perfect for when you don't have time to freehand a whole look, but need something awesome! I added a layer of topcoat to try and extend the mani, but you really don't have to - these strips are super long-lasting. And the icing on the cake? Easy removal! When you're ready, all you have to do is peel them off.

Next up, I chose the Jazzi design to review. Check it out!

Application was the same with these wraps - super easy and no problems at all! I fudged my index finger, but it was totally user error. I got SO many compliments on these nails! I decided to try to flip some of them upside down to show the different colors, since my nails weren't quite long enough to show the entire design. I think that was part of the problem with my index and ring nails - I chose to put them on upside down lol. I'm sure I would get better at this with practice haha.

Don't forget to check out the Nail Polish Canada website for tons more awesome designs. I would highly recommend these wraps. :) They retail for $16.00 per set, which is an awesome deal for 3 manis!

So what do you think of these nail wraps? Which design is your favorite? I'd love to hear from you below <3

Kelly

Nail Challenge Collaborative: Neons #4

Hey guys! Once again, squeaking in just in the nick of time with my last neon mani for June! :) For this one, I wanted to do a neon gradient, so I used the following colors (from thumb to pinky). The reason the same colors look different when they're on the tip versus the base of the nail is because I had to sponge white over the base color before sponging on the tip color, if that makes sense. 

Here's the colors I used: LA Colors - Shock, China Glaze - Flying Dragon (Neon), China Glaze - Pool Party, LA Colors - unnamed Neon Green, China Glaze - Japanese Koi (Neon), and back to Shock. Then I added a couple coats of Sticks and Stones with HK Girl topcoat. :)

I think the Sticks and Stones really made this mani. I had dented the orange tip on the ring finger, also, so it was a great way to cover it up. ;)

I loved loved LOVED this mani, it was so bright and fun and summery .What do you think? And remember to check out everyone else's Week 4 Neon manis!

Thanks for looking, and have a great weekend <3
Kelly

Nail Challenge Collaborative: Neons #3

Hi everyone! I'm back with my third mani for Neon month in the Nail Challenge Collaborative. This one was my favorite, I think! I decided to do a neon leopard print after seeing a post by Samantha of Pack a Punch Polish. 

Here's the photo that inspired my design!

I didn't have the exact same colors, so I just improvised. Here's my take :)

I used Milani White on the Spot as a base. I'm trying to remember all the colors I used...I know I used Sinful Shine Most Sinful, Sinful Dream On, Wet n Wild Glowstick, a neon orange from LA Colors, and I believe China Glaze Escaping Reality. Then I went back in with a black striper to outline and add some dots.

This last photo was taken in direct sunlight. This design was SO super bright in person. I had so many people ask me if these were strips.

So what do you think of this design? I thought it turned out really well! My freehand leopard print is getting better, I think :) Don't forget to check out everyone else's designs for week three, and check back for my last design I'll be posting on Saturday! :)

Kelly

Nail Challenge Collaborative: Neons #2

Hi lovelies :) Today I'm back with another post for my Nail Challenge Collaborative group! I am absolutely in love with this mani...I wore it for one of my closest friend's birthday a few weeks ago. I know it's not the neon-est of neons, but I thought Sinful Colors Thimbleberry was a lovely dark coral pink that leaned on the neon side to me. 

I broke out the Scotch tape again and added some sparkle using Shimmer Wendy - I LOVE all the different colored glitters in Wendy - so pretty!

I thought this glitter and base went really well together, and it was the perfect bright glittery mani to celebrate a birthday! Don't forget to check out everyone elses' neons! :)
Kelly

Colores de Carol - Red, Blue and Stars, Purple, and Fun in the Sun

Happy Saturday loves! I hope you're all having a fabulous weekend. I'm shaking off the end of a migraine so I'm slowly getting more functional lol. 

Today I've got a review of some awesome polishes from Colores de Carol! I was so excited when she started making polishes - I already loved her blog because her swatches and nail art are phenomenal...of course her polish would be no different!

First up is Red, Blue and Stars. If you were looking for the perfect polish to celebrate 4th of July, look no further! This is a sheer white jelly polish with red dots, blue squares, and white stars. Very patriotic!

This polish can either be layered over white or it can build up to full opacity all by itself. I personally found that my nails were too stained to wear it alone - I still had slight VNL at 4 coats, so I went back and reswatched it over a white creme. I think it looks much better like this on me, but if you have short nails or unstained nails, you should find there's no need to layer it.

Formula on this one was good, the only thing I noticed was that the blue squares do curl up a bit (metallic glitters typically do), but it was nothing a thick layer of topcoat couldn't fix. In the photos, it looks worse than it was, but most of what you see here is reflective curling. I couldn't feel the edges sticking up in real life, after adding a coat of Seche Vite.

Next up is Purple. Don't let the simple-sounding name deceive you though - this is not your everyday purple! It's a neon fuschia-leaning crelly with black holographic glitter in it. I'm seriously kicking myself now - I only found out this was GLOW IN THE DARK after I swatched it and took photos! I will reswatch it soon to show the glow in the dark effect, but I truthfully think it's gorgeous just as is. Check it out!

Formula on this was amazing!! No issues at all. This is 3 easy coats of Purple with Seche Vite topcoat. 

And lastly, here is the stunning Fun in the Sun. I saved my favorite for last!! This is a wonderful glitter topper that truly is perfect for summer. It's a clear base full of differently-shaped matte glitters in light pink, medium pink, green, white, purple, and yellow. There also looks to be tiny micro shards/flakies in there that show up in the sun!

I couldn't decide what to layer it over, so I did two different colors. The purple is Essie - Boxer Shorts, and the orange is Milani - Jiffy Orange.  I still don't know which one I like it over better! These swatches show 2 coats of Fun in the Sun. I used Seche Vite topcoat and everything felt completely flat - nothing sticking up anywhere. 

What do you think of these polishes? Which is your favorite? Carolina has tons more amazing polishes for sale in her shop so be sure to check them out! And follow her blog and social media sites to see amazing swatches and nail art :)

Colores de Carol Big Cartel shop
Colores de Carol Blog
Colores de Carol Facebook
Colores de Carol Twitter
Colores de Carol Instagram


Thanks for looking! <3
Kelly

Nail Challenge Collaborative: Neons #1

Hi everyone! I've finally got my first Neon post up for the Nail Challenge Collaborative group! Better late than never :)
The first thing I thought of when I was coming up for ideas involving neons, was neon glitter, and from that I immediately thought of Jindie Nails Candy Land! I've swatched Candy Land, but I had bought Candy Land Remix and I wanted to try that one. Here it is all on its own:

It would be far too easy to just use a swatch post as a Challenge post, though, so I definitely wanted to add something to it. I decided to break out the Scotch tape and add a little black for an interesting V look!

What do you think of this neon/black combination? I really thought it was eyecatching and fun for summer :)
Thanks for looking!

<3 Kelly