Breedlove Hoops

Today I have two colors from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer's Winter Collection. This year, Julie decided that she didn't want to do something holiday based so more people could enjoy it. Instead she decided to focus on all things wintery and icy. 

Plumb Tired of the Cold

Plum tired of the Cold is a  blackened plum shimmer base packed with gold micro hexes, red hexes, diamonds, and circle glitters, wine and burgundy hexes, and black hexes and holo dots. I'm not sure what suspension base Julie uses, but it is definitely one of my favorites for jellies and glitter heavy polishes. I simply had to do a gentle shake just in case something had separated. The application was easy going. I did not have to worry about glitter placement at all. Shown above is two coats with no base color. 

Polishes used: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer-"Plum Tired of the Cold", Rimmel London-"Lasting Finish Pro"

Limited Edition: Hypothermia

Hypothermia is only available for those who purchase the entire Winter Collection. Hypothermia is a dark purple linear holographic polish with vivid purple shimmer. This was my very first linear holo. After wearing Hypothermia, I am totally kicking myself for not picking up a linear holo sooner. The formula was a nice consistency, and didn't require much shaking before application. Shown above is two coats, with no base color.

Polishes used: Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer-"LE Hypothermia", Rimmel London-"Lasting Finish Pro"

Conclusion

I really enjoyed these colors from Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer, and was pleased with the formulas of both lacquers. Plum Tired of the Cold was easy to work with and required no glitter fishing. LE Hypothermia was my very first linear holo and quickly won my affection. I would definitely recommend checking out Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer during her next restock on 1/1/2014 at 3 pm est. 

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 *All colors were generously provided for review

Today I have two colors from Blue Eyed Girl Lacquer's Winter Collection. This year, Julie decided that she didn't want to do something holiday based so more people could enjoy it. Instead she decided to focus on all things wintery and icy. 

Plumb Tired of the Cold

I know this is definitely not polish or weightlifitng related, but I feel like tossing things up a bit. What are your "must-see" Christmas movies?

These are my top 5:

This year, Nina of Model City Polish decided to create a charity polish to benefit her local humane society. $2 from each bottle of Coal purchased will go towards buying food, treats and toys for animals in need. 

Sorry for the photo spam, but isn't it gorgeous?! The formula was really nice for a jelly. I didn't have to fish for glitter or shift it around at all. I loved Nina's initial swatches so much that I bought two! One for myself and one for a gift. 

If you love Coal as much as I do, be sure to order a bottle soon! I'm not sure if these are going to be limited edition, but I have a hunch they won't be available after the holidays.

Polishes used: Model City Polish-"Coal", Rimmel London-"Lasting Finish Pro"

Etsy | Facebook | Blog

 

I can't think about gingerbread men without simultaneously thinking about Shrek & how much my dad loves gingerbread. Since my dad wouldn't appreciate me putting his picture up on the blog, please enjoy this clip from Shrek:





This stamp is from plate 222 from the 2nd Bundle Monster set. My first few attempts at stamping this came out crooked and really irritated me. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong until I looked at the plate... the gingerbread man was supposed to be crooked!



I don't know if you can tell, but the little gold things around the gingerbread man are holly. They didn't pick up on my stamp very well. I'm not sure if it was because of my stamp, or the polish itself.

Overall, I really liked this stamp and color combo. Now that I know the gingerbread men are supposed to be crooked I think it will turn out much better.

Polishes used



Zoya- "Hunter", Sally Hansen Insta-Dri- "Go For Gold", Orly- "Bonder" (not pictured), Pretty & Polished- "Swift Sparkle" (not pictured)

As for the colors, I don't think I could have picked a better combo. Zoya- "Hunter" is a lacquerista's dream! Would you believe that it has one coat coverage? As for Sally Hansen, their Insta-Dri polishes are excellent for stamping. I think that "Go For Gold" really added that extra sparkle needed to bring my manicure together.

If you are just getting back into working out post injury, how should you approach it? 

I suggest consulting your doctor or physical therapist before easing back into activity. Beyond that it's up to you to use your best judgement.

I decided to take things really slow by starting with bodyweight exercises. From there, I worked up to bar weight (or more) when appropriate. If I felt like something was too heavy or awkward I would lower the weight or choose a new exercise. 

It's so important that you don't let your ego get in the way of your recovery. While your injury may not be giving you problems, you may not be completely healed. Once you injure something it is much easier to aggravate it in the future. Pay attention to your body. If your joints feel funny, or your grip starts to fail, you are obviously doing too much. 

 

I have a few colors to share with you today from Katt at Plösh. Plösh is relatively new to the indie scene, but she crafts unique, high quality colors that every indie lover could enjoy.

Brushie

Brushie is a rich blue jelly loaded with various sizes of glitter. The polish consistency was excellent compared to all of the jellies I have worked with. I did not manipulate the glitter in any way during application. Shown above is one coat over Ulta- "Blue Streak."

Polishes used: Plösh- "Brushie", Ulta-"Blue Streak", Rimmel London-"Lasting Finish Pro"

Madam President

Madam President is a velvety red jelly with various shapes and sizes of red glitter.  For some reason this reminds me of red velvet cake... anyone else with me? I have a hunch that if you layered this over a blue base color you could end up with a purple-like jelly with gorgeous red glitter. Shown above is one coat over OPI-"Thanks So Muchness!"

Polishes used: Plösh-"Madam President", OPI-"Thanks So Muchness!", Rimmel London-"Lasting Finish Pro"

Conclusion

After trying two jellies from Plösh I feel like it is safe to say that all of her polishes should be an excellent consistency. I was really pleased with the quality level from such a new indie maker. I expect to see many fun things from Plösh in the future!

Etsy | Twitter

*All colors were generously provided for review

I have another unique color from Mod Lacquer to share with you today. I honestly don't know how Jennifer comes up with all of these amazing colors!

Technicolor Noise

Technicolor Noise is a funky glitter topper loaded with yellow, green, pink, blue and red glitter. Shown above is one coat over Essie- "School of Hard Rocks." I did not fish for any of the larger glitter chunks. If you prefer the layered glitter look I think it would take 3-4 coats for complete coverage. 

Polishes used: Mod Lacquer- "Technicolor Noise", Essie- "School of Hard Rocks", Rimmel London- "Lasting Finish Pro"

Etsy | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Today I have five new colors from Coral at Stags Head Nail Lacquer. I feel as though each color has a hidden theme or meaning. I'm not sure if I figured all of them out, but I have a few hunches.

Bug Bite





Bug Bite is a rich purple jelly with black glitter. I really dig how bright and attention-getting this shade is. I'm not sure that I would still be a fan if this is what bug bites really looked like. This is my idea of a perfect jelly: not too thick, and not too runny. It was so smooth, it was like applying a cream based polish. Shown above is two coats with no base color.

Polishes used: Stags Head Nail Lacquer- "Bug Bite", Rimmel London- "Lasting Finish Pro"

Post Code Envy





Post Code Envy is a light purple cream with black and yellow glitter. I'm guessing that this is based off of Lorde- Royals, but I'm honestly not sure.

If you like pastels, this one is for you. It's the perfect twist between classic and playful. Shown above is two coats with no base color.

Polishes used: Stags Head Nail Lacquer-"Post Code Envy", Rimmel London- "Lasting Finish Pro"

Don't Call Me Honey, Honey





Don't Call Me Honey, Honey is a glitter topper made up of various sizes of black and yellow glitter. This was my absolute favorite in the whole collection because of the glitter composition. This would look nice over a bunch of different colors, but I wanted to stick with a simple, classic look. Shown above is one coat over Sally Hansen- "Timeless White."

Polishes used: Stags Head Nail Lacquer- "Don't Call Me Honey, Honey", Sally Hansen-"Timeless White", Rimmel London-"Lasting Finish Pro"

Income Tax





From Coral's description:

There are certain things - as, a spider, a ghost,
The income-tax, gout, an umbrella for three -
That I hate, but the thing that I hate the most
Is a thing they call the Sea.
- Lewis Carroll

Income Tax is a glitter topper with blue, purple and white glitter in various sizes and shapes. The more I look at the swatches the more this reminds me of a Jackson Pollock painting. I think this would be gorgeous over a purple or grey, or as a glitter gradient. Shown above is one coat over Orly- "Liquid Vinyl."

Polishes used: Stags Head Nail Lacquer- "Income Tax", Orly- "Liquid Vinyl", Rimmel London- "Lasting Finish Pro"

Shrinking Violet





Shrinking Violet is a beautiful purple holo. I honestly don't have words to describe this. I love purple, and holos are my go-to polish when I can't decide what to wear. I feel as though Shrinking Violet's simplistic beauty speaks for itself. Shown above is two coats with no base color.

Polishes Used: Stags Head Nail Lacquer- "Shrinking Violet", Rimmel London- "Lasting Finish Pro"

Conclusion

I enjoyed all the colors Coral sent for review. All formulas were easy to use and rich with pigment. My favorite color was "Don't Call Me Honey, Honey" because of the glitter composition. I highly recommend ordering from Stags Head Nail Lacquer.

Coral was sweet enough to offer a discount code for you guys! Enter: "POLISHEDLIFTING" (no quotes) for FREE shipping on your next order.

 

 

I spoke with Kirby from The Mercurial Magpie the other day about nail stamping. I struggled with getting a clean image in the past and had a million questions for her. After getting a ton of help from Kirby, I decided to give stamping another try. I played around with the technique a little bit, and this is what I settled on for Thanksgiving. 

 

Supplies used: Wet-n-Wild Mega Last-"Never Been Kissed", a no-name metallic brown, Bundle Monster plate 225

Do you have any thoughts? Suggestions? Tips? I would love to hear your feedback!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who are celebrating today. I could go on a long spiel about who and what I am thankful for, but I am sure we have similar things in mind. 

Thanksgiving can seem like a bit of a "doomsday" for those of us who are trying to live a healthier life. We work so hard throughout the year to achieve pr's and lower numbers on the scale, only to face one of the biggest "food" days of the year. If you had come up to me several years ago I would have told you to eat your Thanksgiving food in moderation, and to have a super healthy breakfast. If you were really concerned that you would overdo it, I would have told you to pack your own food. Looking back, I see how foolish those thoughts are. Thanksgiving only comes once a year. Your family (like mine) is probably slaving away in the kitchen as I type this. Don't worry about what you eat today, just make sure to give thanks to the people who made it happen. 

Please enjoy this Thanksgiving themed cat I found on Reddit =)

Today I have two fun crellies from Cherie at Sinister Benediction. The full collection consists of four colors, Chuck's BikeORama, Spearmint or Fruit, Everyone I Know Has a Big But, and Breakfast Machine. These playful colors are based on Pee Wee's Big Adventure. If you haven't seen the movie before (and you have a semi-twisted sense of humor) I urge you to watch it ASAP. It's rated PG, but there is definitely some adult humor in there. Without further ado please enjoy these short clips and swatches.



Chuck's BikeORama


Chuck's BikeORama is a whimsical blue crelly with yellow, pink, blue and green glitter. Shown above is two coats with no base color. It was really easy to achieve full coverage, and I didn't have to move glitter around at all. I really like the layered effect this crelly gives you.
Polishes used: Sinister Benediction-"Chuck's BikeORama", Rimmel London-"Lasting Finish Pro"
Spearmint or Fruit



Spearmint or Fruit is a shimmery green crelly with pink, light blue, yellow, and black glitter. This color is now one of my most treasured indies. It's partially because of the name and theme, but I also really love green! Pictured above is two coats with no base color.
Polishes used: Sinister Benediction-"Spearmint or Fruit", Rimmel London-"Lasting Finish Pro"
Conclusion
I really dig the Pee Wee Herman theme, and the quality of the polishes definitely lived up to the hype. If you were to pick up only one color from Sinister Benediction, I highly recommend Spearmint or Fruit.
Sinister Benediction is having a Cyber Monday sale. Use code CYBERMONDAY for 25% off your purchase.