Polish Pickup June 2020 Cocktails and Mocktails Swatches and Reviews

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Long time, no blog! Tonight I've got 4 products from this month's Polish Pickup which is coming in hot. The inspiration is Cocktails and Mocktails and I don't actually drink. I mean, I did back in the day, but alcohol interferes with the medication I take these days so my husband tends to do the drinking (he's into craft beer). It's fine with him because he always has a designated driver. That said, I think this is a really fun theme as there are drinks in all the colors of the rainbow. New to PPU? If so, here's how it works:

Definitely join the Polish Pickup Facebook Group. You don't necessarily need to actively participate in the group, but it will give you a look at the polishes that will be available in the coming month. PPU themes are chosen by the people, often a few months in advance (brands need time to find their inspiration and test their polish). Any indie brand that has been around for at least a year can participate and each has their own specific inspiration picture and polish for that month. All you need to do is go to the Polish Pickup site during the pre-order window (the first Friday-Monday of the month) to make all of your purchases of these exclusive polishes. There's no need to pay for multiple shipping charges; since this is a pre-order, all polishes get sent to Polish Pickup and they send you the polishes you ordered. Yup, it's that simple. Oh, and shipping is a flat-rate of $3 to the US (more for international and they just had to increase the pricing to Canada). Recently they also opened a UK site which you can find here. Since all orders are pre-orders, shipping will take place about 3 weeks after the end of the pre-order.

PPU starts Friday, June 5th at 11:00 AM ET and ends on Monday, June 8th at 11:59 PM (but if a polish has a cap and sells out before the end of the pre-order, it's gone, unless you get lucky and the cap gets raised...which is rare) on the PPU website. Guess what next month is?? PPU Rewind! Each brand gets to bring back a shade (or product) from a previous month for the PPU website, and a different color they can sell on their website if they're interested. 

The website is currently open for wishlisting, so go check out this month's offerings STAT. Time for swatches!

Polish Pickup January 2020 Written in the Stars Swatches and Reviews

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Hi guys! Long time, no blog! If you celebrate Christmas, I hope you had a great one. I traveled to my husband's family up in Maryland and it was a great one. I will be visiting my family this week for New Years. We tend to visit my family for Thanksgiving, and the husband's family for Christmas Eve and Day. I say this every month, but I can't believe Polish Pickup is coming up this weekend.
This month's theme is Written in the Stars, and some makers have really thought outside the box this month. Some were inspired by their zodiac signs, so some makers may have the same sign, but they interpreted it in a completely different way. New to PPU? If so, here's how it works:

Definitely join the Polish Pickup Facebook Group. You don't necessarily need to actively participate in the group, but it will give you a look at the polishes that will be available in the coming month. PPU themes are chosen by the people, often a few months in advance (brands need time to find their inspiration and test their polish). Any indie brand that has been around for at least a year can participate and each has their own specific inspiration picture and polish for that month. All you need to do is go to the Polish Pickup site during the pre-order window (the first Friday-Monday of the month) to make all of your purchases of these exclusive polishes. There's no need to pay for multiple shipping charges; since this is a pre-order, all polishes get sent to Polish Pickup and they send you the polishes you ordered. Yup, it's that simple. Oh, and shipping is a flat-rate of $3 to the US ($5 for Canada and more for international). Recently they also opened a UK site which you can find here. Since all orders are pre-orders, shipping will take place about 3 weeks after the end of the pre-order.

PPU starts Friday, January 3rd at 11:00 AM ET and ends on Monday, January 6th at 11:59 PM (but if a polish has a cap and sells out before the end of the pre-order, it's gone, unless you get lucky and the cap gets raised...which is rare) on the PPU website.

The website is currently open for wishlisting, so go check out this month's offerings STAT. Time for swatches!

PI Colors Cotton Candy Collection Swatches and Reviews

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Hi guys! I can't believe how the year has flown by. I swear it was just January a couple months ago. This isn't the last you'll see of me this week as I'll be posting the upcoming Polish Pickup shades. Tonight I have a brand I've never featured on the blog, and it's PI Colors. I've really admired other soft shades Trish has featured before, so I was very excited to try her upcoming Cotton Candy Collection. You may be asking yourself, "Wait, it's fall! Cotton candy?" Right now the NC state fair is going on, so it's still fair time in many parts of the US, especially the south. It's way too warm to have the fair during the end of August like we used to have in Ohio. 

This is a 5-piece set that features pastels with iridescent glitters, chameleon shimmers and some occasional flakies. These will be available tomorrow (October 30th) in the PI Colors website for $10 each, or get the whole set for just $42.

More Emily de Molly Swatches and Reviews: Dreams of Glass and The Grey Silence

Hi guys! I'm finally back with another post. I know I've been a bit quiet, but I'll be back with a vengeance with the new year. It's crazy that 2018 has almost come to an end, right? It wasn't the greatest of years, personally, but I'm really happy with how the blog has been going. One thing I am going to bring back in 2019 is Nibs & Nails. I already have a couple brands on tap, and I can't wait to see what they come up with. Any guesses on what brands will be featured? Anyway, I've got a couple more Emily de Molly polishes to share with you tonight. They are quickly becoming a favorite indie brand, and most definitely my favorite Australian brand. Hit that button below to see these beauties!

Emily de Molly Group Customs Swatches and Reviews: Opal Illusion and Symbiosis

Hi guys! It's almost Thanksgiving! I'll probably be taking the rest of the week off to visit with my family. I will definitely be lounging around and eating way too much food. Make sure to check your social media pages often because there will be plenty of Black Friday sales going on. I'll have the Zoya Holiday 2018 collection up soon, as well as some swatches from Starlight and Sparkles. The polishes I have for you tonight cannot be found on the Emily de Molly site because they are group customs. You'll need to join the Emily de Molly Fan Group on Facebook to find the links to purchase them (they are $10 apiece). Hayley said they will be available for several months, so you should have plenty of time before they go away. Shall we get to it? 

Emily de Molly August 2018 Polish Pickup: Three Words, One Song

Emily de Molly Three Words, One Song (2 coats)

Hi guys! Yay, we have hurricane Michael moving through tomorrow. It will mostly dump a bunch of rain on us, but if you are further south, please be careful. Tonight I've got a polish that is no longer available. I know, I try not to show things that are long gone, but I'll try and give some suggestions to some similar polishes you may be interested in. 

Three Words, One Song was the August polish from Emily de Molly which was inspired by the musical Frozen. Truth time: I've never seen Frozen. I was much too old to watch it when it came out, and I'm never around other children, so it just fell to the wayside. Three Words, One Song is a pale purple base with turquoise shimmer, rainbow iridescent flakes, and silver holo microglitter. Look at that huge flake on my middle finger! I love it! The first coat was pretty sheer, but I only needed 2 coats for full coverage. I was honestly expecting to need a third based on what it looked like in the bottle. It dried with a little bit of texture, but was smooth to the touch after a coat of topcoat. 

While this one is no longer available, I think you'd really love The Grey Silence, Dancing Through Sunday, or Dreams of Glass from Emily de Molly (and they're still for sale). You can find out more about Emily de Molly on their US/international website, AU website, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter pages. 

Polish Pickup (PPU) October 2018: Pepper Pot Polish I'm Your Number 1 Fan

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Hi guys! Polish Pickup starts this Friday, and I have a couple more polishes to show you. As a refresher, October's theme is Villains. Pepper Pot Polish was inspired by Annie Wilkes (played by Kathy Bates) from the movie Misery, adapted from the Stephen King book from the same name. I never read the book, but I loved the movie. I've watched most of Kathy Bates' movies, and I still enjoy her on American Horror Story. Polish Pickup starts this Friday, Oct. 5th at 11 AM EST and ends at 11:59 on Monday, Oct. 8th. This one will retail for $11, and has a cap of just 80 bottles. I can see this one easily selling out, so I suggest putting your order in as soon as possible. 

Pepper Pot Polish I'm Your Number 1 Fan (3 coats)

I'm Your Number 1 Fan is a murky olive green crelly base with orange to blue aurora shimmer, and rainbow iridescent flakes. I used 3 thinner coats for full opacity, but you may be able to get away with 2 depending on your application and/or nail length. It practically applied itself, and dried with no texture. 

I'm Your Number 1 Fan is the perfect earthy green for this fall. I love the depth and softness the flakes add. With a cap of only 80 bottles, you may need some ninja fingers to get this one. Make sure to set your alarms for 11:00 AM EST this Friday to get yours. Find out more information about Pepper Pot Polish on their website, Instagram, Facebook, or Facebook Fan Group while you can find more about PPU on their Facebook page and website.

*These polishes were provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

Noodles Nail Polish Spring 2018 Collection Swatches & Reviews

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Hi guys! Tomorrow is my birthday, so I don't plan on doing any blogging. I do, however, have to work all weekend which sort of ruins any plans of fun shenanigans. On the bright side, I do have an impressive spring collection to show you from Noodles Nail Polish. In case you don't remember my thoughts for Natalie's winter collection, let's recap. It was the best. No, seriously, hear me out. She was able to have a cohesive set with polishes that were all very different. It sort of sounds like something Tim Gunn would say on Project Runway, right? But if you think about it, that's sort of what every indie brand has to do constantly. This 6-piece set is releasing this Saturday, April 14th, at 5 PM EST on the Noodles Nail Polish website. Shall we see if Natalie has outdone herself? (*spoiler* she does)

Quixotic Polish Grey Nail Polish Fanatics Group Custom and Shiny New Seahorse

Hi guys! I've been nursing a mild illness, so please bear with me. Tonight is the last night to get one of the polishes, so I wanted to make sure to get this post up ASAP. You guys know how much of a fan I've been of Mary and what she's done with Quixotic Polish this past year. She was recently asked to make some customs for the Grey Nail Polish Fanatics Facebook Group, and boy did she come out with some beauties! The other polish appears to be a core color now, so you'll at least have some time to get Shiny New Seahorse, because you're going to want that one. 

Lollipop Posse Lacquer Summer 2017 Mix Tape: Overdrive Edition: The Future is Coming On

Lollipop Posse Lacquer The Future is Coming On (3 coats)

Hi guys! Have you ever had one of those clumsy nights? I had one of those yesterday evening. I was burning a wax tart in my warmer when I reached over to turn it off before going to sleep. Well, my sleeve knocked the wax over and I tried to catch it before it got everywhere. I proceeded to get hot wax all over my hand, the wall, and the floor. It pretty much came off of the wall and floor, but it took more work than I wanted to do at 11 PM. *sigh* Anyway, remember when I posted about the 2 polishes I bought from the Summer Mix Tape collection from Lollipop Posse Lacquer a few weeks ago? I was so impressed with them I had to buy the other polish I was eyeing with my 20% off code. 

This one is named after one of my favorite songs of the 2000s, Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz. The Future is Coming On is described as a steel grey base with loads of red/green/gold shifting iridescent glitter and shimmer. Maybe it's the glitter, but this looks more greige than steel grey to my eye. Man, these iridescent glitter polishes are on point! I think the only way this polish could be any better is if she added a bit of multichrome flakes to the mix. It's really sheer, but built up to full opacity in 3 coats. The formula was great, but make sure to use thin coats. Removal was a pain, so use a peel-off base coat or the foil method.

The Future is Coming On is still available on their site and it retails for $11. You can find more information about Lollipop Posse Lacquer on their website, Instagram, Facebook, and Facebook Fan Group pages. 

Lollipop Posse Lacquer Polish Con 2017 Exclusives: Cotton Candy Chaos and Midway Madness

Hi guys! Anyone still watching Dancing with the Stars? My pick is still Frankie Muniz, but he almost went home last night! Can we get Nick Lachey gone? I have nothing against the guy, but he just isn't a good dancer. I had a great weekend just relaxing and enjoying the cooler weather here otherwise. Tonight I have 2 of the 3 Lollipop Posse Lacquer Polish Con exclusives to show you tonight. You  may be asking yourself, "Audrey, you didn't tell me you went to Polish Con!" Well, I didn't. I was lucky enough to go to the Indie Shop in Atlanta earlier this year, but I just can't justify flying to Chicago. That said, LPL has the overstock of exclusives on their website right now. Go ahead and press that Read More button for swatches and my thoughts.

Different Dimension Black Friday Mystery Polish #6: Welcome

Different Dimension Welcome (3 coats)

Hi guys! I know, I'm posting 2 days in a row! Your excitement may be short-lived because the polish I have tonight is no longer on sale. On the bright side, there are some other polishes from Different Dimension with the same iridescent glitter in different base colors.

Welcome was a Black Friday exclusive polish and is a murky green jelly base with that red to green shifting glitter. It's a jelly, so it was really sheer and I still had a tiny bit of visible nail line after 3 coats. While this is no longer for sale, the whole Intergalactic Collection features the color-shifting glitter shown here. If you don't want to miss out on anything Different Dimension, make sure to follow them on their website, Facebook, or Instagram pages.

Right on the Nail ~ Polish 'M Swatches and Review: Neonista

Polish 'M Neonista (3 coats)

I feel really bad about showing some of these crellies from Polish 'M because they sold out and aren't for sale anymore. Do you guys want me to show the rest of them? The set consists of 3 white crellies that contain different types and color of glitter. Neonista contains neon circle glitter with tons of iridescent flakes. Have I stated how much I love circle glitter? I used 3 coats for the swatches above, but you could definitely put one layer over a white polish. I just happen to like the subtle hints of color as I added layers. I made sure to leave the polish upside down for at least 20 minutes before applying it and I had no need to fish out the glitter. It's hard to see from the pictures, but Neonista also has a ton of iridescent flakes that mostly flash blue. I must say that I completely adore this color, especially since it is an affordable price ($8).

You can find Polish 'M on their store, Facebook, Instagram, and Facebook Group (which I am a part of!) pages.

Right on the Nail ~ OPI 2014 Designer Series Swatches and Review: Tourmaline

OPI Tourmaline (3 coats)

Happy Saturday! Tonight I have the other 2014 OPI Designer Series called Tourmaline which is a bright pink with iridescent holographic glitter. Well, this is a bit boring. And for $12.50? I dunno, I thought Titanium was better because the glitter stood out more than this one. This was also quite sheer and needed 3 coats with no application issues. If I were you, I'd save my money on this one. 

Right on the Nail ~ OPI 2014 Designer Series Swatch and Review: Titanium

OPI Titanium (3 coats)

I've been trying to collect the latest offerings OPI has every year for their designer series collection. This year comprised of 2 polishes, and I have both to show you. Up for tonight is Titanium which is a deep grey base with iridescent holographic glitter. I'm sort of torn on this one. I used to love the linear holographic polishes they used to put out and I feel like a glitter polish like this isn't special or deserving of the price increase to $12.50. Sure, it's pretty, but not anything I haven't seen before. I guess you can say that the indie brands have the linear holos under control now, so I guess big brands need to find new ways to change things up. The formula was fine, but it was surprisingly sheer and needed 3 heavy coats for full opacity. Oh, and it eats up topcoat so make sure to use a coat of Gelous to help.

Right on the Nail ~ Morgan Taylor Holiday 2014 Home For the Holidays Collection Swatches & Reviews Part I

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Morgan Taylor Midnight Rendezvous (2 coats)

OoOo....a dark polish for a holiday collection! I like! It's a black base with multi-colored small glitter. This is one of my favorites of the whole collection. It is a bit of a pain to take off though. 

Morgan Taylor Snuggle by the Fire (2 coats)

Yup, we got the red creme that has to be in every holiday collection. Every.single.one. I understand it, but that doesn't mean I don't already have about 20 of these. This one is very smooth and opaque, so it does have that going for it. 

1 coat Morgan Taylor Snow Place Like Home over 2 coats Snuggle by the Fire

Snow Place Like Home is a bit of a change for Morgan Taylor. Usually their shimmers/glitters are extremely opaque, but this one is a sheer topcoat with iridescent glitter and shimmer in a very lightly pigmented white base. I should have put this over a black because you would have been able to see the glitter better. This one had tons of shimmer and only needed 1 coat. 

Ah, yes, more holiday collections are rolling out. I'm also happy to report that my local nail supply store now carries the core line of Morgan Taylor polishes! I hope to get some more of those since I basically just get the limited edition collections. Definitely look for more in the future.
The Home For the Holidays collection seems to be geared more toward shimmers and glitters which is right up my alley. There is only one lone creme, Snuggle by the Fire, shown above. Every polish applied quite well, as usual. Some of the glitters were difficult to take off, but there's no surprise.

I think you'll be happy with the next 3 polishes as well. I'm happy to report that you can now buy Morgan Taylor polishes online without a license from Loxa Beauty for $8.50 each. You can keep up with Morgan Taylor on their Facebook and Twitter pages as well.

*These polishes were provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

Rainbow Honey June Mystery Bag Swatch and Review: Pikake

Rainbow Honey (2 coats) over China Glaze Feel the Breeze (2 coats)

I realize I'm a bit late on posting the polishes from the Rainbow Honey Mystery Bag, but you may be able to get this later on. Pikake is a glitter topcoat with iridescent, white, hot pink, purple and yellow glitter. It is extremely glitter dense, especially with the iridescent shimmer in the background. I love how feminine it looks, especially over China Glaze's Feel the Breeze from the Off Shore Collection which I'll be showing soon. Happy Monday! 

Urban Decay Summer 2014 Nail Lacquer Swatches and Reviews: Bang and Chaos

Urban Decay Bang (2 coats)

Urban Decay Chaos (2 coats)

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It's been a long time since I've tried out an Urban Decay polish, but once in awhile they decide to roll a couple out for the polish lovers out there. There are 2 colors I have to share with the first being Bang which is a red/orange with iridescent pink shimmer. The shimmer is much more hidden than in Chaos. This is a really nice color that isn't the most unique, but still has an awesome bottle. Look at that skull!! It definitely wins points for presentation. These two polish applied the same, and that is to say that they basically applied themselves, but they better for $15 for only 0.3 fl. oz. of product. I feel if I am going to pay that much, I want at least 0.4 oz. What do you guys think? The other color is the amazing Chaos which is a bright cobalt blue with light blue shimmer that actually shows up really well. I really like this one, but again, wish there was more product because I would have no problem shelling out the cash for it. 

You can find these anywhere Urban Decay is sold (ex. Sephora, Ulta, UrbanDecay.com) and stay up-to-date on their new products on their Facebook or Twitter pages.

*These polishes were provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*