HPB Presents: Spring Hibiscus

Hello hello, reader! Today’s a special Hobby Polish Bloggers link-up post. Every month we get together and do a themed mani, and the theme for March is spring. The mani can be as simple or elaborate as we like as long as it fits the theme; as a personal challenge, I try to use polishes I haven’t used before. For this look, I used Elevation Polish‘s The Merchant’s Son, Ellagee‘s Breena, Essie’s Tart Deco and Sunday Funday, L’Oreal’s New Money and Hyde Park, and Revlon’s Sunlit Grass and African Tea Rose, all topped with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

Of course, flowers are the harbingers of spring, and as beautiful as they are, I didn’t want to do a floral mani for spring because I knew everyone else would be doing it. I did it anyway. Boyfriend and I are very into tropical plants, and we wanted to make our backyard space even more tropical, so we got a few new hibiscus plants. I snapped a photo of this beautiful peach hibiscus, and I knew I had to make a mani out of it. Boyfriend is also quite the connoisseur of Hawaiian shirts, and this look is inspired by those as well.

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I started this look out with two coats of The Merchant’s Son, three on some nails where it was still a bit translucent. The Merchant’s Son is a thermal, but you can’t really tell under all the flowers. I didn’t even bother to show the thermal effect in action because it would be impossible to see. I picked a thermal because my original idea was to use a gradient. I also used a thin coat of Breena — that’s where the flakie holo comes from — just to add a bit of sparkle. When you can see the thermal effect of The Merchant’s Son, it shows right through Breena. The addition of Breena was probably unnecessary, but I needed one more polish to make an even eight.

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I did the leaves before I did the flowers, but I did them exactly the same way; instead of brushing the polish on, I stippled it on with a dotting tool. I don’t know what it is, but I’m much more comfortable with the dotting tool as a method. Brushing never works for me. I have small nail beds, and often the brush feels too large or unwieldy, even when my nails are quite long. For this reason, there’s not a lot of intricate detail in the foliage and flowers; I took a cruder colorblock approach to this. I stippled the leaves on — two colors for variety — and then the flower petals, and then the pistils and stamens. For reference, I used Nailstorming’s hibiscus nail art tutorial video. I actually picked my colors before I sought out the video, and I love that we both chose pretty similar colors.

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This was my first attempt at this kind of nail art, and I’m happy with how it came out. It’s rough, sure, but I didn’t screw it up or anything, you can tell what it’s supposed to be. It’s super in your face. Boyfriend accused them of being stick-on nails and that was kind of satisfying. I got to use a whole eight unused polishes, that’s pretty nice too.

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The truth is, spring came long ago to Florida. I know other parts of the country are still thawing out, but we’ve been enjoying it for some time now. That’s kind of the reason I didn’t want to do a spring flower mani, I was just so over spring flowers that I just wanted something summery and fun, something that really reflects Florida in March. Speaking of which, here’s some sunlight photos! The holo, or what you can see of it, looks amazing out here. I’m not sure if the Elevation or the Ellagee is my favorite of this look, but they look so beautiful together I couldn’t possibly choose.

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Here’s a product roundup, just for reference. I rarely do this, but I rarely use so many polishes for one mani.

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Elevation Polish has discontinued The Merchant’s Son, but you can find their other polishes in their shop. Breena also appears to be discontinued by Ellagee; other polishes are sold in their shop. Revlon, L’Oreal, and Essie are sold in stores nationwide.

I bought these polishes myself.
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Manicure Monday: Orange Crush

Happy Monday! Orange is the word of the day here. This mani is all about big color and flakies. For this look, I used Sally Hansen’s Heat Flash, Digital Nails‘s Crush Leaves Not Dreams, and Seche Vite top coat.

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Heat Flash is a fantastic polish, though mine is aged and had to be thinned quite a lot prior to today’s use. Despite that, the opacity and color intensity are still as great as ever. This is a bottle I’ve been enjoying for many years now; it’s one of the best oranges I have in my collection. My only gripe is with the double-wide brush; I’ve never been able to use it without making a mess of my fingers.

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I didn’t want to cover such a bold and fun color, only accentuate it, so I wanted to go with a flakie topper. It took a long time to find the right one, and I’m not sure if Crush Leaves Not Dreams was the right choice, but I kind of like how it came out anyway. Crush Leaves Not Dreams is a slightly-shimmered clear-based topper with these magical rose-to-gold-to-green flakies. I don’t know how else to describe them — other than voodoo — because they’re unlike any flakie I’ve ever encountered. They’re chunky and more substantial than the iridescent flakies we love, but not to the same degree UCC flakies are. These are just so unique and magnificent. The shift occurs easily and looks great over this orange base. I added studs for extra accents, just because I can’t stand it when all the nails look exactly the same.

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Here are some sunlight photos! Crush Leaves Not Dreams looks amazing outdoors. Usually my camera freaks out over orange polishes in the sun, but I think these turned out well. The blue/purple shimmer gets overwhelmed, but the flakies look great.

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Sally Hansen seem to have discontinued Heat Flash and the Insta-Dri line; other Sally Hansen products are sold in stores nationwide. Crush Leaves Not Dreams was a small-batch polish and is sold out; other Digital Nails polishes are available in their etsy shop.

I bought these polishes myself.

Swatch Sunday: OPI’s Y’all Come Back Ya Hear?!

Welcome back! Swatch Sunday is a fun one this week, because I don’t think I’ve worn a jelly polish alone. This is OPI’s Y’all Come Back Ya Hear?; I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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Y’all Come Back Ya Hear? is a tangerine jelly polish. Application was easy; though I admit I took extra care with this polish to avoid streaks and bald spots. The first coat, obviously, was thin, and though color strength built, it never turned fully opaque. The product consistency is good; it’s thicker than one might expect for a jelly. The polish dried quickly and with a glossy finish. I added top coat for extra shine.

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So I remember getting this and a few of the other jellies from the Texas collection and being really disappointed when they were so sheer. Even now that I know what jellies are and what they can be used for, I still feel a bit naked wearing something this sheer on its own. The coverage is actually better than I thought it would be, but it still feels like something is missing. I have that feeling like my nails aren’t polished, but they totally are. I was really afraid of messing up this polish, because jellies aren’t very forgiving if you smudge or dent them; I wouldn’t be able to just add an extra coat and hide it. My favorite thing about this polish is the shine, because it’s wicked smooth and shiny on its own, so shiny it probably doesn’t even need a top coat. I guess maybe trading some opacity for a ton of shine isn’t such a bad deal.

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Y’all Come Back Ya Hear? has been discontinued by OPI. Other OPI polishes are sold in stores nationwide; I got this one from Ulta back in the day.

I bought this polish myself.

 

Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer’s Sunburned Siren

It’s Saturday, and you know what that means: it’s time for a BEGL swatch! I’m excited about today’s swatch, because it’s an installment in Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer‘s Siren series. These limited edition polishes are some of the most-sought after BEGLs because they’re as scarce as they are gorgeous. This was also supposed to be swatched when my camera broke over the summer, so I’m happy to finally be wearing it! This is the second-ever Siren, Sunburned Siren. I’m wearing three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

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Sunburned Siren is a creamy orange polish with gold shimmers. Application was really easy; the first coat was sheer, but even, without patches or streaks. I had full opacity in two coats. The golden shimmers appear in every lighting condition, though some do appear orange, given the sheer nature of the base. The polish dries quickly and with a glossy finish; I used top coat for extra shine and protection.

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Sunburned Siren made her debut in September 2014, but she’s still very summery. The color itself is beautiful; I love orange and I think it doesn’t get enough play. The gold shimmer breathes life into it. The pigmentation is sheer enough that the shimmers from previous coats shine through, adding dimension. This polish is amazing. I’m always impressed when I remember the little details like this were planned, not created by accident.

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I took some photos in the sunlight, just to see how to shimmers play in direct sunlight. The shimmer is pretty versatile in this regard; there are a few more shimmers than usual visible, but it’s not that big of a change. Also, I got an okay macro there. Sorry my pool is green.

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Sunburned Siren is, unfortunately, no longer available, as it was a numbered limited edition. Other BEGL polishes are available from their online shop.

I bought this polish myself.

Swatch Sunday: My True Love Creations’s Apple Crush

Swatch Sunday, at last! The polish I’m wearing this week is something new and interesting to me; I actually got this little mini as a gift-with-purchase from another blogger’s destash sale. After a little bit of homework, I found out that it’s from a new-to-me brand called My True Love Creations. I’m excited to learn about them! The polish I’m sharing today is called Apple Crush; I’m wearing three coats of Apple Crush with one coat of Seche Vite. All photos are taken outdoors in direct sunlight.

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You may also notice my nails took a trip to Chopsville this weekend. Yep. So sad.

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Apple Crush is a orange-leaning red polish with holographic shimmer. Application was easy: the product consistency is good; it’s a little on the thin side, but doesn’t have any thin-polish problems like flooding or streaking. It is on the sheer side; it took me all three coats to achieve this opacity. It dries quickly and with a semi-glossy finish. I added top coat for extra shine and protection.

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I’m pretty impressed with this little polish. I have to confess, I didn’t expect much since I didn’t know too much about it, but I’m really pleasantly surprised. The polish is gorgeous in its sparkly simplicity; while holos these days are these intense sparklers, this one takes a step back and offers just enough. It’s kind of refreshing actually.

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Apple Crush and other My True Love Creations polishes are available from their etsy shop.

I did not buy this polish, but it was not sent by the maker for review.

Manicure Monday: Sundown

Happy Monday, reader! This is the last Manicure Monday of 2015. I cannot believe another year has gone by and I’m still blogging. The wacie.com anniversary, as well as the anniversary of Wacie Nail Company, are coming up, and I have some really fun things planned, like new polishes! For now though, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. For this final post of 2015, I’m wearing Pretty & Polished‘s Sundown; this is three coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

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Sundown, as you can see, is an orange-to-yellow thermal creme polish with glitters in orange, yellow, and pink. The polish coverage is on the opaque side, so glitters from previous coats don’t show up so well in the finished look. That’s especially true for the orange/cold stage; since the yellow/warm stage is much paler, and the darker glitters do actually show through a little. The transition occurs easily. Application was okay; the creme went on beautifully, but the glitters were few and took some manipulating to get them just right. The polish dries with a satin finish.

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I bought this polish in 2015, and I’m actually surprised it still transitions. I’m thrilled with it, really. A lot of the thermals I’ve had that long — even a few I bought more recently — have stopped altogether. I was really unsure of what to expect from it. It’s beautiful, though, isn’t it? It’s so strangely appropriate for this post, and in so many ways: obviously the name is appropriate, since the sun is setting on such an exciting year. Today’s high was 83 degrees, and so the colors are unseasonally seasonal. It’s not a NYE glitterbomb, but it’s a really cool polish to see me through the end of the year.

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Sundown is no longer made by Pretty & Polished, but you can find other polishes (thermals!) on both their etsy store and their official website.

I bought this polish myself.

 

Swatch Sunday: Lynnderella’s Chef Kitty

Did I mention how happy I am to be swatching again? I have missed it so much. I know I’m out of practice, so please bear with me while I get back into the swing of it. This Sunday, I’m wearing my first Lynnderella polish, Chef Kitty; I’m wearing one coat over Mac’s Queen’s Honor (red), Essie’s Roarrrrrange (orange), OPI’s I Just Can’t Cope-acabana (yellow), Revlon’s Posh (green), and Nails Inc.’s Baker Street (blue) with one coat of Seche Vite.

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Chef Kitty is a shimmery glitter topper with mostly white glitters in various shapes and sizes, as well as accent glitters in various colors and finishes. The maker describes it as an “’everything but the kitchen sink’ approach to cuisine”, and I have to agree with that; the variety of glitters in this polish is staggering. Considering the amount of glitter in this bottle, it spread very well over the nail; I had no trouble getting even coverage at all. It dried pretty well, all things considered. I used to top coat to smooth everything down and really bring out the shimmer in the lacquer base.

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I know Lynnderella is old news for most people, but I had to see what the fuss was about and, last March, purchased Chef Kitty. I loved the mental image; I pictured my own fat fluff wearing a chef’s hat and knocking every herb and spice I own into a bowl. I was amazed by this polish and its quality, so impressed that I bought 24 more since then. They’re just so gorgeous! Lynnderella’s been in the indie polish game a long time, but everything they make is still creative and gorgeous.

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Chef Kitty is available from Lynnderella’s Storenvy; other Lynns can be purchased via eBay auction.

I bought this polish myself.

Manicure Monday: Neon Sunset Gradient

Happy Monday, reader! I adore today’s manicure because it’s so bright and busy. The gradient you see was done with Color Club’s Wham! Pow! and Sally Hansen’s Magenta Moves; the glitter topper is China Glaze’s Whirled Away. All nails are topped with Seche Vite top coat. I had a ton of fun doing this look today, so I hope you love it!

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Wham! Pow! is one of the best neons I’ve used in recent memory. It was opaque in two coats, dried with a satin finish, and — the best part — did not require a white base for the full effect. It’s almost painful to look at, it’s so bright. This is a seriously fantastic neon and I definitely recommend it to everyone. Magenta Moves, though a bright color, isn’t as neon as Wham! Pow!, so it kind of keeps the gradient from being too loud and creates the smoky-but-still-bright sunset effect.

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I fell in love with Whirled Away the first time I saw it. This was back when those black and white glitter toppers were at the height of their popluarity; this was the first one I got, probably also the first one I ever used. My favorite thing — simultaneously the best and worst thing about this polish — is that it sets itself apart from the others by using much larger glitters. I love big glitters, cannot lie, etc., but I feel like it makes the polish go faster. I’ve only used it twice, but the bottle is already half empty. It’s so sad. It’s also kind of a pain to apply, because the slice/bar glitters are so long they sometimes hang off the nail like eyelashes, and sometimes it was hard to get the glitters to spread evenly over the nail, but it still looks cool even when it’s a little lopsided.

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Unrelated: I miss swatching! I noticed today that it’s been two months since my Canon broke; I thought it would only be in the shop a few days and now I have no idea when I’m getting it back. I’m so sad, I really miss wearing all those new polishes! I’m kind of afraid to use things now because I can’t document it as easily. Here’s hoping it’ll come back someday soon.

I bought these polishes myself.

Manicure Monday Night/Tuesday Morning: Orange Sherbet Birthday Warm-Up

Happy Monday, reader! Happy Tuesday as well, if applicable. My look today is one I’ve been looking to try for a while: matte glitter sandwich with glow in the dark polish! It doesn’t translate well to photos, and looks a bit weird. I really regret that, but it looks cool in person, so I’ll need you to trust me on that. Also, this is probably the last manicure of my twenties. Yeah. I turn 30 on Saturday, and I’ll do a birthday mani then. Until then, this will carry me through the rest of the week. The last week of my twenties. I already feel as though the sun is setting.

Anyway, the sandwich I have here is made with Formula X for Sephora’s Firecracker and American Apparel’s Jupiter, topped with one coat of Seche Vite top coat.

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The first thing you’ll notice about this manicure is that’s really orange. The color comes mostly from the glitter. Jupiter has some color of its own, but it’s sheer and not immediately visible. What Jupiter does here, though, is assimilate each individual speck of glitter into one orange entity. Only the large glitters still have definition; the finer glitters look like grit or bubbles in the color, at least in photos. It’s not that bad without the bright studio lights bearing down on it.

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You may also notice the polish looks quite thick. That’s very accurate. In all, I have seven coats of stuff on my nails. Apart from base coat and top coat, I have two layers of Jupiter, the glitter, which is about as thick as two coats, and two more coats of Jupiter. Firecracker is a pretty chunky glitter, so Jupiter acts as a smoother here as well as a color; my nails are totally smooth to the touch. They are, however, one step away from being gumballs, and I acknowledge that.

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One last thing: I tried a real macro shot! I got a new phone with a pretty nice camera, and thought it was worth a shot. If you’re reading this, you’ve scrolled past it, but there it is. You can really see what I mean about the glitter losing its definition. It looks like it’s out of focus because the lines of the glitters are blurry, but it’s really just the sandwich blending it in.

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Firecracker is from Sephora. Jupiter is from American Apparel.

I bought these polishes myself.

Manicure Monday: Jinx

Welcome back, reader! It’s been a long time since I got to wear a Liquid Sand polish; I’d forgotten how fun and pretty they are! This is Jinx; I’m wearing three coats without top coat.

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Jinx is an orange-coral polish with tons of gold shimmer, and of course, a textured finish. The application with these is always tricky for me; The first coat goes on cleanly, and then with continued use, the brush that’s full of glitter and polish fans out wider than my nail and it makes a mess. At least the glitter is fine and cleanup is easy.

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As you may remember, Jinx was part of the Bond Girls collection from 2013. I remember I really struggled with this collection; I’m not a fan of the 007 films — I’ve never actually seen one, in fact — so I felt a little weird about buying them. Eventually, I justified by telling myself it’s not the inspiration that matters, but the polishes themselves. This led to the dilemma of which one I was going to get, and whether I could justify spending my grocery money on the whole collection. I ended up finding an Amazon seller selling the whole collection for about $35.

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This is one of the best Liquid Sand polishes I’ve used yet. A lot of them seem to lean hard to either visible texture or tons of glitter, and this one lands right in the middle. It’s obviously textured, but it’s not the main focus of the polish. The glitter and shimmers are there, but they don’t take over the look, either. It’s perfectly, beautifully balanced.

Jinx and the other Bond Girl polishes seem to be discontinued by OPI, but are probably still available in shops and online. My bow charm is from Claire’s.

I bought this polish myself.