Saturday, December 29, 2012

Let it Snow Challenge: Day 5 - New Year's

Hey guys! Tonight I'm squeezing this mani in just at the last second! Better late than never, right?! It was my day off, so I wanted to spend most of it relaxing and doing fun things, and editing pictures didn't sound that fun when there were video games to be played! But, I finally got it done - so here it is! My New Year's nails!


All nails have a base color of OPI Here Today, Aragon Tomorrow, which was a gift from the lovely Sharra over at The Blahg! She is wonderful and so is this color!! Seriously, it's amazing. It will have it's own swatch post up here shortly because it deserves a post of its own! :)

On top of Here Today, Aragon Tomorrow, I added several things that remind me of New Year's. My thumb and pinky are two different takes on confetti - the thumb is two coats of one of my polish creations (Trix & Treats Lacquers) called Wrong in All the Right Ways, and the pinky is just little dashes made by several different striping brushes. My index is supposed to be my attempt at fireworks, lol - it failed miserably. For my middle finger I dabbed on China Glaze Glistening Snow and Angel Wings, to show the glitz associated with the new year. Then of course, a 13 for 2013!! :)


I don't think I've mentioned it here, but I have a Taylor Swift obsession, so I liked walking around with a 13 on lol. :)



What do you think of my New Year's nails? Do you have any plans for New Year's?? I'd love to hear about them below! :D I will be working, but I plan to bring some supplies to work and do my residents' nails!

Kelly

Jindie Nails - Battle Royale and Dream in Color

Hi all! Today I've got two more from Jindie Nails Winter Chic collection to show you. I thought it was the perfect time because she's re-opened her shop tonight with a FULL restock. I spent so much money, haha. But it will be worth it! Here's a reminder of what the entire collection looks like.



Today I'm showing you Battle Royale and Dream in Color. First up, here's the description for Battle Royale:
"Deep blue jelly with color shifting shimmer that shifts from violet to teal to pink with periwinkle, deep purple, teal, magenta, mauve, lavender matte and metallic glitters plus turquoise, light pink & hot pink rare, round/dot glitters. No fishing. Opaque in 2-3 coats and meant to be worn on its own."

Battle Royale macro shot
This polish base is so bright, I can't even describe it to you in words. Just look at these photos, and know it's still brighter than that! And it is packed FULL of glitter! :) The following photos show 3 coats of Battle Royale with a coat of SV on top.
Jindie Nails Battle Royale
In shade, you can really see all the different shapes, sizes and colors of glitter.
Jindie Nails Battle Royale in shade
Jindie Nails Battle Royale
Jindie Nails Battle Royale
Jindie Nails Battle Royale
The sun really brings out the shimmer in the base! And just LOOK at all. that. glitter. Gorgeous.
Jindie Nails Battle Royale in direct sunlight
Formula on this was good, but a bit difficult just due to all the glitter. It kind of reminded me of a Crows Toes polish in that sense, because it was so packed full of glitter that application could be slightly tricky if you weren't careful. I really didn't have too much trouble with it spreading evenly when I made sure to get a good glob of polish on the brush.

Next up is Dream in Color!
"All same size matte hex in neon blue, neon yellow, neon green, barbie pink, white and black in a clear base."
Macro shot
Jindie Nails Dream in Color
I love these types of polishes - the tiny matte glitters are really versatile and look great built up or over lots of different colors. I chose a purple because there was no purple glitter in Dream in Color, and I wanted to be sure that all the colors could be seen. My thumb is 3 coats of Dream in Color alone.
Jindie Nails Dream in Color
Jindie Nails Dream in Color
Jindie Nails Dream in Color
Jindie Nails Dream in Color
Jindie Nails Dream in Color
Formula on this was good, it's a bit thick, but that's to be expected with these tiny glitters, and it is packed FULL. You only need to get a bit of polish on your brush, and it will go a long way. I recommend a couple coats of a good thick topcoat like Seche Vite. I just got Glitter Food, so I haven't tried that out yet, but I hear it's great for smoothing out rough glitters like this one. :)

Both of the polishes shown here retail for $8 for a full size bottle, and $4.25 for a mini size. Right now, the Etsy shop is OPEN for business so hurry over there and pick up the polishes you want! They are going fast. I bought seven...my bank account is crying, haha!

Jindie Nails on Etsy
Jindie Nails on Facebook
Jindie Nails on Instagram

I'd love to hear your thoughts on these two! Which one is your favorite of the two? :)

Kelly

A sample of these products was provided for review. I am not being compensated in any way for this post. This review is a statement of my honest opinion of these products, based on my experience. For further information, please see my Disclosure Statement.

Friday, December 28, 2012

Mentality - Metallics Collection [pic heavy]

Hello my lovelies! Before I get to the post today, I want to remind you about my 300 Follower Giveaway that started yesterday - tons of awesome prizes you could win, so make sure you enter! Oh, and one of the polishes featured in this blog post is actually up for grabs in the giveaway, so check out the swatches :)

Now, onto today's post - it has been one that I should have posted a LONG time ago, but just didn't get around to editing alllll these photos lol. This is a big post, so bear with me! Today I have for you the entire Metallics collection from Mentality. Mentality has quickly become one of my absolute favorite indie brands; they are a husband and wife duo (though I think I've dealt more with Hillary than her other half haha) and their customer service is awesome - not to mention the polishes they come out with are incredible!
Here's some shots of the entire collection:
Mentality Metallics collection
Mentality Metallics collection
And now I'm going to show you the swatches in the order that the bottles just happened to be arranged in the above photos - these are not in order based on my favorites! Some of these shades were hard to capture, so they may have more photos than others. I'll save time by telling you here that all of these photos show 3 coats of each polish with 1 coat of HK Girl topcoat. The only sort of issue I had with formula was that the first coat went on a bit streaky, but covered up beautifully with 1-2 more coats. I did 3 coats for good measure, but if you're careful with application you can get away with 2.

First up is Covet. It's a gorgeous golden toned green with tiny micro flakies.
Mentality Covet
This is really a true metallic to me. It's super reflective and eye-catching - I had tons of people ask me what polish I was wearing. I love how the gold really shows itself in different lightings.
Mentality Covet
Mentality Covet
Next up is Desire. The Etsy shop describes it as a bright orange with gold undertones and flakies, but I think the gold is more of an overtone, if that's a thing haha! What I mean is, the gold really shines for me in this polish. It's gorgeous!
Mentality Desire
Mentality Desire
Mentality Desire
Mentality Desire
This next one is Lust, and it is hands down my favorite of the collection! That's why there are so many photos of this one, haha. The Etsy shop describes this as a coppery red with gold undertones and flakies. I think on my skin it came across as more coral, but whatever you want to call it, it's simply stunning. In fact, I love it SO much that I bought a full size bottle for the giveaway!! Check out these swatches and see what you could be winning!
Mentality Lust
Mentality Lust
Mentality Lust
Mentality Lust in direct sunlight - I love how the gold comes through here!
Mentality Lust
Mentality Lust
I love how you can really see all the tiny flakies in this next shot! Such a beautiful polish!
Mentality Lust
This next one frustrated the hell out of me! It looks amazing on the nails, and the color shift is ridiculous, but I could NOT get my camera to capture what it looks like IRL, no matter how hard I tried!! This is Envy, and it's a bright, sometimes almost olive-y green, with gold undertones and flakes.

Okay, now these next two photos...I promise you they are the same polish. This color-shift...anyway, just look!
Mentality Envy - looking very green in indoor lighting
Mentality Envy - looking very goldish and muted in natural lighting
Can you believe the difference?? The first photo is more true to how it looks IRL but in different lighting, that gold undertone really showed up.
These next two were both taken at the same time/location as the first one, and you can see how much change there is even with the smallest shift in angle.
Mentality Envy
Mentality Envy
And now we're back to the photos I took at home, in natural sunlight (no artificial light). The sun seems to give it a softer, glow-y feel, and the gold is a lot more present.
Mentality Envy
Mentality Envy
In this next one, you can really see the olive tones start to show up. It really had so many different shades to it depending on the lighting - what a fun and interesting polish! :)
Mentality Envy
Lastly, I have to admit, this was my least favorite of the bunch, Crave. I just felt like it wasn't at all flattering on my skintone. I bet for someone with darker skin, this would be gorgeous, but on me, in certain lights it just looked like my fingers blended into the nail. Crave is described as a light rose-toned pinkish nude, and I think that's a great description for it!
Mentality Crave
Mentality Crave
In this next photo, you can sort of see what I mean about the polish matching my skin tone. As soon as I held it in the sun, I could hardly tell my finger from my nail haha!
Mentality Crave in direct sunlight
Mentality Crave in shade
Mentality Crave
Overall, I was very impressed with the quality of these polishes. The shimmery metallic finish is stunning, and I had no real issues with formula. The colors are unique and the flakies really add something special! Not to mention, Mentality has some of THE best prices around - $6.75 for a full size bottle! I definitely recommend checking them out using the following links:

Mentality on Etsy
Mentality on Big Cartel
Mentality on Facebook

Have a great Friday everyone! <3
Kelly

Thursday, December 27, 2012

300 Follower Giveaway!

The time has finally come for me to announce my 300 follower giveaway!! It took me a while to get photos taken of the prizes, but everything is ready and I'm so excited to share it with you guys!


Here's what you could win!

 1st Prize:  (1) Full size cuticle oil from 365 Days of Color - Reindeer Poop scented, (1) bottle Mentality - Vigilance, (1) bottle Naild'It - Jellystone, (1) bottle Daily Lacquer - Candy Cane Forest, (1) bottle Revlon - Royal, (1) bottle Chameleon- Fandango, and (1) bottle Petites Color Fever - Potion.

 2nd Prize: (1) full size 365 Days of Color Cuticle Oil - Hippy Christmas scented, (1) bottle Mentality - Lust, (1) bottle Daily Lacquer - Maple Syrup, (1) bottle 365 Days of Color - Killer Kiss, (1) bottle Revlon - Whimsical, (1) bottle Chameleon - Nucleus, and (1) bottle Petites Color Fever - Mystery.

 3rd Prize: Baby Lips lip balm in Cherry Me, (1) bottle Mentality - Charm, (1) bottle Daily Lacquer - Swirly Twirly Gumdrops, (1) bottle Revlon - Popular, (1) bottle Sinful Colors - Kissy, (1) bottle Sinful - Frenzy, and (1) bottle Petites Color Fever - Electric Indigo.

Rules:
  • You must be 18 to enter.
  • This giveaway is open to US followers only - sorry International followers! You CAN still win if you have a US address I can ship to - i.e. if you've got a friend who will receive the package for you.
  • All entries WILL be verified - anyone found being dishonest with entries will be immediately disqualified.
  • Winners will be given 24 hours to respond; if they do not, a new winner will be chosen!
  • That's it - GOOD LUCK!!!

CLOSED!