ILNP - Party Of Four

Okay, when it comes to indie nail polish, I am totally out of the loop. Like way out of the loop. So far out of the loop that I don't know if I could ever get back in.
I had a couple of pretty bad (read: awful) experiences in the early days of the indie craze. Stained nails, awful polishes, poor quality. And while I'm sure there are still things like that going on, holy crap, some of the brands have stepped up their game.

I was going through some old pictures I had never gotten around to posting, and came across these swatches of an old ILNP shade from back in the day. Looking at the pictures just now prompted me to check out their website. OMG. Cue the drooling. Ultra chrome? Ultra chrome flakies? Holographic ultra chrome flakies? What even. Someone get me one of those, stat.

Anyway, in case you ever stumble upon some older ILNP shades in a blog sale or what have you, here's a nice one to check out!

ILNP - Party of Four
This polish is a glitter topper with pink, blue, silver and black glitters. Lots of different shapes and sizes but it forms a cohesive look that I am super into.

I can't tell you for certain what base color I was wearing, but I thiiiink it was OPI - The Violet-ter, The Better.

I also made the whole look softer and milkier with a coat of OPI - Don't Touch My Tutu. I like it even better this way!

ILNP is definitely a great example of an indie brand that is 100% on par with the big brands, if not even better. I'm glad I have a couple of the old shades but I need to grab some new ones!

So tell me, what are some of your favorite tried-and-true indie brands? Anything I am hardcore missing out on?

I'm off to draft some more posts. Until next time!

Deborah Lippmann - Just Dance

Hi there! Today I'm gonna be posting a polish I meant to post about a long time ago but you know me, I get distracted.

Actually I have a funny story about this polish. You may know that when I go on vacation somewhere, I am pretty uncontrollable with my spending when it comes to stuff I can't get locally, such as Deborah Lippmann polishes.
Last year, I went to St. Louis, and I bought two DL's at Nordstrom.
Last year, I also went to Chicago, and I bought two DL's at Sephora.

Only problem is... I bought this one both times. I had no recollection of buying it before, I'm usually really good at knowing what I have and don't have. But at some point I noticed that it was there twice on my polish stash spreadsheet which got me thinking, OMG I totally did buy that twice. A major DOH moment. So I went to check my Lippmann's on my nice little shelf, and there is only one bottle of it there. So I said no, maybe it was an accident that I put it there twice on the list. So I check out my haul posts for the months I had both of those trips, and SURE ENOUGH, I have it in both of them. So I bought it twice. I definitely did. But I still cant find the second bottle?! Did I notice the mistake once before and give it as a gift or something and totally just let it all slip from my mind? I DUNNO.

Anyway. Here's Just Dance from Deborah Lippmann.
A polish so nice you might buy it twice.

I can't remember now if this is two or three coats, but I do know that there is no base color, just lovely full coverage glitter. Blue glitters are one of my favorite polishes to wear, and this one applies sooooo great.
I'm actually thinking of going and putting it on again right after I finish this post.

Such blue. Many Glitter. Wow.

The moral of this story is that we all need to settle down and not wind up buying two of the same pricey polish. Unless you mean to. Like maybe you like it sooooo much you need two. Because you never know when you might run out. Just in case. Right? RIGHT?

China Glaze - Prism

Ready for an old swatch that was hidden away, waiting for its time to shine?

China Glaze - Prism
This was from the Prismatic collection which is two years old now! I remember when I got these polishes I was soooooo excited because they were so cool (and still are.)

The polishes were all pretty similar though, which is why I don't think their popularity had much lasting power. I see them in blog sales a lot lately. But looking back at this one makes me want to bust them out again! What can I say? I'm a glitteraholic.

Maybelline Brocade Collection - Lavishly Lilac

Hola! Remember I'm Feeling Sashy from yesterday? Here's how I wore it!

Maybelline - Lavishly Lilac
I added two accent nails in this beautiful glitter from Maybelline's Brocade Collection. It only needed two coats for full coverage on top of my purple base, but you may need three on a bare nail.

The glitters in this collection are really different, with blends of different glitters and shimmers, creating a really unique look. Don't you love it when you see a new polish in a display and can honestly say you don't already own something like it? I actually bought three of them... Haha.

I also added a quick gradient to my thumb to complete the look. I just did the gradient with the polish brush - making sure there was very little on the brush to blend the glitter down onto the base.

Don't these polishes go well together?

Did you pick up any of the Brocade glitters? At only 3 or 4 bucks a piece, they're pretty hard to resist! I'm itching to wear the green one now... I think I will go put it on!

Maybelline - Nighttime Noise

Hey guys! Hopping on late tonight to get this post up for you because I love this polish!

Maybelline - Nighttime Noise (over Lime Crime - Once In A Blue Mousse)
This is a new matte glitter topper from the Street Art collection of Maybelline's Color Show line. The collection has four or five cool glitters but the two blues really stood out to me and followed me home.

As you can see there are many different shapes and sizes of glitter, plus the formula was wonderful. I did two coats for my mani for the coverage I wanted. It's so fun!

I definitely recommend these glitters! Plus they're so affordable, just around $3. Pick them up if you spot 'em.

super holo glitter bomb

Yo. Check this mani.

Boooooom holo glitter! Like four layers of it!

I honestly cannot remember for sure which polishes went into this manicure. I just knew I needed a holo glitter bomb and I pulled out whatever I could!
I know for sure that the finishing touch to the mani was OPI - Which is Witch?
I was holding the bottle in my pictures... So I know that much. Ha!

Some days you just need a super holo glitter bomb. I could use one now actually after seeing these pictures!

Zoya - Giovanna

Leave it to me to break three nails just as I start blogging (almost) every day again. My nails are shorter right now than ever!! And oh man they are painful too. They're not used to being stubs. Sad face.
So until they grow back in a little I'll have to round up some photos from the past few months that I haven't posted yet!

Today I've got swatches of a pretty green polish from Zoya.

Zoya - Giovanna
I have a total soft spot for greens, especially emerald green. So naturally I love this shade!
I got this bottle in my Ipsy bag for October and I was totally pumped that I got the green and not red or blue.

The formula is flawless, just two coats to cover evenly and I had no issues with staining.

I wore this color alone for a couple of days, and then I added some green glitter!

Adding Shimmer - Linna on top was like the magic touch! It was so pretty. But the reflective nature of Giovanna made it impossible to capture how good the glitter looked on top. It blended in great and I had wonderful sparkly green nails! Just how I like it.

Shimmer Polish - Vicki, Melissa, & Fanny

Shiiiiiiimmer. Today I have three pink glitters from Shimmer Polish to show you!
While they may look similar at first glance, any glitter expert will realize that they are very different and all amazing!

Here's what I love about Shimmer that I say in every review post:
- They're absolutely packed with glitter.
- But that does not make them gloopy or hard to apply.
- You can wear them alone layered over other colors.
- So many glitters. Complex formulas. Not your typical glitters.
- Great bottles and brushes and damn, what a cute label!
- HAVE I MENTIONED ALL THE GLITTER?

Shimmer Polish - Vicki (over Orly - Choreographed Chaos)
This is all sorts of pink and silver glitter, including some holo sparkle. Donations will be made to breast cancer research from the profits of this polish! How cool, right?
I love this polish especially because I have a bestie named Vicki. Hi Vicki!

Shimmer Polish - Melissa (over OPI - Funky Dunkey)
Ooooooooh damn I just love this one! Purple! Fuchsia! Red! Gold! Silver! It's so good. Man. I really like how it looks over the purple base. I actually wore this manicure for like five days. Haha! Into it.

Shimmer Polish - Fanny (over OPI - A-Rose From The Dead)
For some reason I did two black accent nails when I wore this color, and Fanny looked really cool over the black so I had to include some pics from the rarely-seen right hand! This is mostly pink and purple with little hints of other colors. I love it! As always.

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Hooray for glitter!

Shimmer Polish is available in their Etsy shop, or you can order via email.
The polishes are $12 each, and you can even order custom polishes for $15.
Head to shimmyshimmer.com for the details! And don't forget to check them out on Facebook.

Here are my other Shimmer posts, in case you missed 'em:

• Shimmer Polish - Leslie, Jennifer, & Jasmine
• Shimmer Polish - Erica, Nichole, & Karen
• Shimmer Polish - Candace, Lucie, & Maria
• Shimmer Polish - Julie, Jenny, & Trisha
• Shimmer Polish - Eva, Liana, & Irene  
• Shimmer Polish - Cindy, Elsa, & Carmen
• Shimmer Polish - Mary, Tracy, & Katherine  
• Shimmer Polish - Tammy, Strength, & Astrid 

Products provided for honest review.

Cirque Alchemy Collection

Hello everyone! Today I have a review of the new-to-me indie brand Cirque Colors.
I've been itching to get some of Annie's polishes for a long time so I'm really delighted to be sharing these with you today!

I received five of the ten polishes which came from a really unique inspiration story. I'll let Annie's description explain it to you:
"Occult practices and medieval experiments are the theme to Cirque’s latest release - Alchemy.  This 10-color arrangement showcases the magic and mysticism behind the transformation process with colors ranging from saturated yellow gold to shadowy grays to a geometric-inspired glitter topper."

I'll just start it out with a bang and show you that aforementioned geometric glitter!

Cirque - Vectors (over OPI - Do You Lilac It?)
This glitter topper features just about every black glitter you could want, in a clear base, also sprinkled with some very fine holographic glitter that pulls it all together.
As with all polishes of this sort, you do need to sort of push-and-place the glitter around where you want it to get the look right. But it was not difficult and I did not find the glitters to be overly sticky-outy, and I only needed one coat of topcoat to smooth it out.
This was the manicure I wore yesterday for Halloween and it was so much fun! Got lots of compliments on it. Love!

Cirque - Arcane Fire
This was a surprise love for me, where I don't usually go for reds. But this is stunning!
It only needs two coats for full coverage and the color is beautiful and the shimmer is just so deep, I'm entranced! This is definitely a winner, especially if you're a red lover.
It does dry a tiny bit flat though so I added topcoat for the photos.

Cirque - Stella
Glitter! This is a rose gold fine glitter that I've shown on its own (2 coats) and layered over Arcane Fire (one coat.)
Isn't it pretty? Definitely unlike anything else I own. So sparkly, and great coverage!
Can't wait to try it over more colors.

Now for the holos!

Cirque - Magnum Opus
Yummm, purple-charcoal holo. Definitely one of those shades that looks nice both in and out of sunlight.
The holo finish on this one is not as strong as the next polish, but still strong, and the formula is great! I did three coats for the photos but you can likely get away with two regularly.
Imagining this with a Stella glitter accent...

Cirque - Mink
A lovely brown holo. Browns aren't colors that I usually turn to, but I have to say, they always look really nice and classy. I can see this looking flattering on everyone! The formula is wonderful and needs two coats for full coverage, and dries quickly like is par for holos. 
If you're a brown-loving girl, don't miss this one!

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What I absolutely love about these polishes is that you can just feel the amount of love and care that goes into each one. They are truly artisan polishes and I don't even think "indie" is the right word because they just feel so professional and fantastic. The presentation, the boxes, the bottles, and of course the contents... It's just great.

The Alchemy collection is available online at www.cirquecolors.com right now.  
Prices range from $13-15.  For other retailers, please visit the “Stockists” page of the website.

Provided for honest review.