HPB Oct. Halloween Mani Link-Up

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I'm a member of the Hobby Polish Bloggers group on Facebook. We're a diverse group of bloggers who help each other discover new ways of getting the blogging done, give each other feedback when asked, and grow our friendship inside and outside the group. Each and every lady in our group is special, we're very supportive of each other and we each contribute in different ways.

We're doing monthly link-ups, and the theme for October is Halloween! I've prepared a few nail art manicures with stamping and a even touch of freehand on two of them!
(The Simples group is really helping give me the confidence to try more free-hand nail art!)

For this look, I used Sweet Heart Polish Rad!, that I recently reviewed, as the base color. I then stamped it with spiders and webs from the Vivid Lacquer plate VL013. Spooky? Creepy?




Next, I tried capturing the feel of eery night skies filled with bats and different phases of the moon. The base is a sponged gradient of two Darling Diva polishes - Early Riser and Tina the Labradorite. The bats are stamped with Vivid Lacquer plate VL013 and the moon is freehanded with a mixture of Zoya Dove and Sweet Heart Polish Bitchin for a greyed out yellow moon effect.




What will you be wearing on your nails this Halloween?

An InLinkz Link-up

Sweet Heart Polish: Neons with a kick!

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Sweet Heart Polish launched a really cool set of six neons this summer and each one of them has either flakies or shimmer. They're really pretty and slightly sheer so they'd make a good polish to use for leadlighting or most of them are opaque in just three coats. The best part? Since summer is ended, these are retiring which means they're on SALE!! (through Saturday)

Stoked is the first one I swatched, and also my favorite of the bunch. It has a depth and shine like a piece of candy and is the most vibrant neon raspberry flakie.




Amped is a a coral leaning pink packed with golden shimmers. This particular neon shade not color accurate in my photos, I got as close as I could. Think of a brighter more neon pink that leans a little bit coral due to the shimmers added in. The skirt in this photo is very very close to accurate for the color of this polish.




Wipe Out is a vivacious blue flakie.





These last three shades, I wore over a white cream base so I could hide the nail line while shooting under bright lighting as these three are a bit more sheer than the first three shades.

Bitchin is a really bright lemon yellow filled with coral shimmer. The bright studio lights washed out the shimmer in my photos but trust me, it's there and it's gorgeous!




Gnarly is a flakie packed shade in between chartreuse and lime. Love it!




And finally there's Rad!, this orange packs a punch and will wow you with it's flakies!




You can grab your full sized super sale priced neons and many other retiring polishes for $4.50ea plus shipping at the Sweet Heart Polish shop, but don't delay! The sale ends Saturday!

Cupcake Polish: November Sweet Addictions Box

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Cupcake's Sweet Addictions collaborative box for November is launching tomorrow! I've had the opportunity to review it and if you thought last month's box was awesome, wait til you see this one!
All three polishes are holographic and the theme is gemstones! The box features polishes from Darling Diva, Different Dimension and Cupcake polish.



Tina The Labradorite - Adorable name right? It makes me think of a tiny puppy. Anywho, it's a vibrant blue with pink, purple, blue, gold, and black flakies and a linear holographic finish. Quite complex isn't it? This polish was inspired by the labradorite stone which is an absolutely stunning gemstone, don't ya think? The formula was of a consistency that was very easy to control during application and opaque in two coats topped with SV topcoat.





Saphir Rose sounds beautiful doesn't it? Wearing it made me feel a little sassy and bold! This polish by Different Dimension is a hot pink linear holo packed with pink shimmer and rainbow goodness. Missi was inspired by the pink sapphire gemstone for her creation and it turned out gorgeous don't ya think? I wore two coats with topcoat, no issues to report.





Emerald Aisle is described by Sara of Cupcake as a rich dark green linear holo inspired by the emerald gemstone. I'd describe it as WOW! OMG! but that's not too helpful is it? It is definitely a straight up green - no yellow or blue leanings at all. The shade is rich and almost opaque in one coat, but I had some areas that needed more paint so I added another coat. The holo rainbow is so bright and noticeable even in a dimly lit room. Guys, I can't even express how awesome this one is. We all need it!





The Sweet Addictions box for November will be available on Sunday, October 19th at 11am CDT at the Cupcake Polish online shop.

Sweet Heart Polish: Ladies of Peter Pan Collaboration Duo

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The ladies of Peter Pan who inspired this set are Wendy and Tinkerbell, of course. Sweet Heart, Blue-Eyed Girl and Monster Polish have represented them very well! This set comes with everything you see in the photo, two polishes, nail vinyls, a button and a bottle of magical pixie dust!

You'll receive one of two button designs that were illustrated by Alondra from Glitter Hypnosis and Stinna from Nailant!

Oh Look, a Firefly! is a sassy lime green with tons of pixie dust just like Tinkerbell's dress! I wore this in two coats over white as the jelly is very sheer and something about layering it over white just makes it really vibrant! As with other Sweet Heart Polishes, this one was very easy to apply.





Sewing Shadows was inspired by Wendy Darling's night gown and is a sky blue creme with blue, green, to gold shifting glass flecks that represent each of Wendy, Peter Pan, and Tinkerbell. Clever, eh? I wore two coats and topcoat for the photos below. Formula was good, no issues to report.





With this duo comes a super cute set of Monster Polish Nail Vinyls of Wendy & Tinkerbell! The perfect compliment to create a fun nail art look! For mine, I sprinkled the magical pixie dust on two nails and topped them with one of each nail vinyl and then topcoat.




The Peter Pan duo launches at 10/10 at 11am Central at both the Sweet Heart Etsy Shop and the Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer shop. The duo is limited to forty boxes so if you want it be sure to get it at launch!

What kind of nail art will you create with this set?

Literary Lacquer: Rebecca Collection

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Literary Lacquers Rebecca Collection is inspired by Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is a suspenseful novel told in the form of a flashback. This collection is dedicated to Rebecca, the book simply throbs with her presence, but yet we never meet her alive.



Rebecca, Always Rebecca

“Rebecca, always Rebecca. Wherever I walked in Manderley, wherever I say, even in my thoughts and in my dreams, I met Rebecca. I knew her figure now, the long slim legs, the small and narrow feet…. I could guess her laughter and her smile. If I heard it, even among a thousand others, I should recognize her voice. Rebecca, always Rebecca. I should never be rid of Rebecca.”

In the novel, our unnamed narrator, a young girl known only to us as The Second Mrs. deWinter becomes obsessed with the supposed perfection of her husbands deceased first wife, Rebecca. She is constantly comparing herself to Rebecca and supposes that everyone that she meets in her new life is also comparing her unfavorably to the accomplished, beautiful and socially connected Rebecca who has been dead for less than a year.

Rebecca, Always Rebecca is an eggplant linear holo with holographic sparkle. Gorgeous shade! It's a sort of mulberry color with hues of brown at certain angles. The holo in all three of these is pretty fabulous!





Je Reviens

The buoy was just opposite, about thirty feet away. There was something written on it. I craned my neck sideways to read the lettering. “Je Reviens.” What a funny name. Not like a boat… “Je Reviens” – “I come back.” Yes, I suppose it was quite a good name for a boat. Only it had not been right for that particular boat which would never come back again.

Rebecca was assumed to have drowned in her little sailboat, Je Reviens, despite being known as an excellent sailor. Je Reviens means I come back or I return, is it ironic that the boat is named such? Has the boat disappeared beneath the water for good or does the name herald future events?

Je Reviens is a deep teal linear holo with holographic sparkle. Do you remember the other teal polish from LitLaq that I reviewed called Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster? Well, I think this is the more grown up sophisticated brother of that polish! It's greener with just a hint of blue, has more sparkle and is such a rich color!






Shadow Between Us

He put his hands over mine and looked into my face. “Rebecca has won,” he said.
I stared at him, my heart beating strangely, my hands suddenly cold beneath his hands.
“Her shadow between us all the time,” he said. “Her dammed shadow keeping us from one another. How could I hold you like this, my darling, my little love, with the fear always in my heart that this would happen? I remembered her eyes as she looked at me before she died. I remembered that slow treacherous smile.”

Has the shadow and specter of Rebecca and her death poisoned the potential for a happy life and marriage for Maxim and his young wife? In Manderley, the ancestral home of the de Winter’s her presence is felt everywhere. Her abandoned bedroom is the best room in the house. Her preferences are still observed. How can our young narrator ever hope to stand on her own in these circumstances?

Shadow Between Us is a smoky grey linear holo with holographic sparkle. The purple holo really pops on the grey base color - my camera really picked that up for these shots!






The formula of each of these was almost buttery and very easy to control with the brush while applying. Clean up was minimal and although there are glitters in each polish it was smooth as glass with just one coat of top coat.

The Rebecca Collection Launches on October 10, 1PM Central time at the Literary Lacquers Etsy shop. Each bottle is $12 or get a discounted price if you order the set of three at $35. (plus shipping)

Brooke Anderson by Gabriel Cosmetics Nail Collection

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Gabriel Cosmetics is headed down South just in time for fall with Brooke Anderson by Gabriel Cosmetics Nail Collection! The collection of SIX “5-Free” Limited Edition shades are a wink and a curtsey to the Entertainment Tonight Host’s Southern Georgia roots infusing beloved Southern expressions from classic films like Gone with the Wind and everyday Southern terminology into a collection fit for a Southern Belle (Don’t we have some of them in LA?)!

• Blue Belle: Mariner Blue / Shimmer

• Darlin’: Aqua / Turquoise Glitter

• Hush Hush: Steel Grey / Shimmer

• I Do Declare: Graphite / Sparkle

• Shine Y’all: Chrome / Glitter

• Southern Belle: Boysenberry / Shimmer


A collaborative effort by both Brooke and Gabriel, the collection is inspired by the ideals of happiness and a central theme of femininity – and of course some good ‘ol Southern charm, y’all! The line showcases Brooke’s fun, witty spirit by marrying rich, bold colors with high-shine, sparkle, and shimmer finishes that any farm or city girl will love.

The Brooke Anderson by Gabriel Cosmetics Nail Collection is available October 1st through the holidays at www.gabrielcosmeticsinc.com and retail indivually for $8.50.