Swatches: Aussie Indie Moonstone Nail Polish

   Helloooo and a (hopefully) Happy Monday to you all! Today's post is somewhat of a PSA - you all remember the Aussie Indie Moonstone Nail Polish I showed you in October of last year, well Caitlin has now released a new collection which goes live TODAY at 7pm (AEDST)! It is the Magic Treats Collection, and draws inspiration from the lollies found in Honeydukes, the magical sweets shop from the fantastical realm of Harry Potter. And so to celebrate, and maybe tempt you a little, I've got swatches for 3 of the 6 polishes to be released.

   First up is Levitating Sherbert Balls, inspired by the sour Fizzing Whizbeez! It's quite a busy polish, bursting with star shaped glitter, pastel yellow dots, pink, white, yellow, and iridescent hexes, as well as a pink/ gold shifting shimmer - this was the first to catch my eye when I opened up the blogger pack, which was unusual because I'm not usually attracted to shape glitter, or shimmer polish. Though after swatching it, I actually quite liked the look of it. This is one dabbed coat over Ulta 3 Citrus. 

Swatches: American Indie Liquid Sky Lacquer

   Hey Guys! Long time no see (talk, post, whatever you want to call it!). I've been exceptionally busy, and have therefore, shamefully, neglected the blog (even Instagram, I know, it's terrible). But I've had a little breather this past week, and so I've been able to whip up this blog post for you all! It'll be an incredibly picture heavy post, but I hope that not only do I do the polishes justice but, also make up for my absence! haha

   Without further ado, I give you all Liquid Sky Lacquer, an American indie polish brand run by Carolyn, who's been generous enough to send me a few of her polishes to swatch and share with you (: Today, I have the polishes she's released for Valentine's Day!

   First up is 24 Karat Rose, it's a gorgeous thermal polish with a gold shimmer that is a beautiful rosy pink when cold, and a delicate nude/gold when warm. When cold, the pink is opaque, but it is incredibly sheer when warm; in the swatch below I've used 5 layers on it's own, and there is clearly still VNL (visible nail line). I myself don't mind it so much, and actually quite like it's subtle and delicate feel, but for those bothered by VNL, I advise using perhaps a nude base polish first.

When Warm

Swatches: Aussie Indie Miss Ashleigh Part III

   Hey guys! It's been a busy week for me, but I've finally finished off the remaining swatches for the Miss Ashleigh Summer Collection! The last 2 have got to be my favourites from the bunch! So without further ado, let's kick it off with And It Was All Yellow.

   This is a retina burning, highlighter yellow, neon creme that is so darn bright it glows. Even under the flash of my camera it glows freakishly bright! I'd love to see it under a blacklight to see it actually glow, but alas I don't own one so I'll settle for this eye searing brightness in daylight instead haha It's perfect with 3 coats on its own, but as with all neons, I've decided to swatch this over 1 coat of white, to help it pop a little more.

   And last, but most definitely not the least, is Let's Clown Around which is a colourful rainbow glitter topper filled with a mix of neon blue, green, pink and yellow hexes and dots. It's all suspended in a clear base, and so can be layered over anything!

   Here, I've layered it over a white to yellow gradient using OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls and Miss Ashleigh And It Was All Yellow. This is 1 coat, with additional "dabbing" to even out the glitter on each nail.

   Then I went a little colour crazy, and thought I'd use 4 of Miss Ashleigh's shades to create this explosion of brightness:

   Thought that with all these bright colours in the Summer Collection, may as well create a fun Summer inspired gradient mani! :D This is Show Us Your Watermelons, Like A Sunrise and And It Was All Yellow topped with Let's Clown Around. 

   And that brings us to the end of the Miss Ashleigh swatches. I hope you've all enjoyed them as much as I have! To keep up with all the Miss Ashleigh updates, you can follow Ash on her Instagram @missashleigh or on her facebook page, and if I've tempted any of you to purchase any of these shades for yourself, just click on through to her store online http://missashleigh.com.au/ (: (:

Swatches: Aussie Indie Miss Ashleigh Part II

   Hey y'all! Happy Hump Day Wednesday and welcome to Part II of the Miss Ashleigh swatches! :D Today's stars are Like A Sunrise and Show Us Your Watermelons. Both striking neon shades, perfect for Summer :D

   First up is Like A Sunrise which is a vibrant neon pastel orange creme. This is 3 thin coats over a coat of white (after 2 coats, it was still a little patchy for me, but a thin 3rd coat did the trick!). On the accent nail is a pink to yellow sunset gradient using Kleancolor Neon Amethyst, W7 Fuschia, and Ulta3 Honolulu.

   On top of the gradient, I also tried adding 1 coat of Miss Ashleigh Let's Clown Around and it matched perfectly! (Proper swatch of this rainbow glitter topper to come in part III!)

   There are no words to describe exactly how shockingly bright this colour is! It may not be a fancy glitter or a shifting multichrome, but Like A Sunrise holds its own - even indoors, and in the shade, it screams LOOK AT ME.

   Also, funnily enough, my mani matched my training shoes! It was totally coincidental too haha

   Okay, so next up is Show Us Your Watermelons. It's a gorgeous red coral creme reminiscent of the juicy fruits it's named after! This is 3 thin coats over a coat of white (as with Like A Sunrise it was still a bit patchy after 2 coats, but a 3rd evened it out. It would probably be okay with 2 coats on its own, but I like layering bright colours like these over white to help them pop even more :D).

 

   Then I thought I'd actually show you my watermelons...

   Hahaha mind out of the gutter people! These melons look much better from afar! Close up they look a little dodgy haha but I'm happy with them. I had no watermelons in the fridge, and I'm far too lazy to go to Woolworths to buy a watermelon so this is the best it's going to get :P

   I also made a Berry Smoothie Swirl and decided to pose with it :D

   That's part II complete! Stay tuned for the final installation in the next couple of days :D To get yourselves any of these polishes, just head on over to Miss Ashleigh's online store  http://missashleigh.com.au/

Swatches: Aussie Indie Miss Ashleigh Part I

   Hey guys and a happy Monday to you all! Let's start this week off with a smile and hope the weekend comes around again fast :P To help you along the way, I have swatches from Aussie indie brand Miss Ashleigh to share with you ^^ 

   Ash released 6 new polishes on Boxing Day of last year, and they're all very bright, and fun shades - perfect for the Aussie Summer ahead. Though, instead of bombarding you with 100 pictures in one post, I'll split the swatches into parts.

   So first up is (no surprise I picked up the purple first!) The Grape Gatsby. I don't know if it's just me, but I found the name amusing; admittedly, I giggled when I first read it :P It's a gorgeous purple jelly with an explosion of glittery goodness inside. This is 3 coats on its own to show you the depth of the polish and exactly how jam packed with glitter it is!

   I also tried it over a dark purple base (1 generous coat of The Grape Gatsby over Ulta3 Spring Break) and the resulting mani was breathtaking - the glitter just pops! It instantly reminded me of crushed candy - specifically Pop Rocks! Anyone else know what popping candy is?! This is it, crushed up! 

   Also tried some art deco lines over the top, and kind of failed, but thought I'd share it anyway. Maybe gold was the wrong colour to use. And striping tape would have probably helped in making crisper lines..

   Anyway! The next polish in line, is Deja - Blue! Love its name, love its colour, love its holo! There is nothing you can fault this polish on, even its application was smooth like butter *sigh of satisfaction* It's a vibrant cobalt blue creme with a hint of holo that dazzles when the sun (or a camera flash) hits it.This is 3 thin coats on its own, no undies needed. 

   And just a regular outdoor shot of Deja - Blue, though the sun refused to come from behind the clouds so I couldn't get an action shot of the holo ):

   Well that's part 1 done! Do you guys like the colours so far? For me, even though I'm tempted to pick the purple over the blue (loyalty issues :P), I actually loveeee the blue way more than the purple this time around! Stay tuned for the next parts!

   To get yourselves any of these polishes, just head on over to Miss Ashleigh's online store  http://missashleigh.com.au/

Review: Celestial Cosmetics Swatches + Review

   Hey guys! For today's post, I've got another Aussie Indie to showcase to you all: Celestial Cosmetics! With the reopening of the store on Monday January 6, Nicki will be introducing 7 new holo polishes that will be added to the Celestial Cosmetics core range. Today, I have 3 of those to share with you :D

   First up is Sand Dunes. Named after the sands and the deserts surrounding Nicki's home - it's a dark rose gold - bronze toned linear holographic polish. It's quite a unique shade: I've seen plenty of dusty pinks, and plenty of gold holos, but this is the first bronze holo I've come across in my polishing journey. 

   Next up is T's In A Tizz. Named after a good friend of Nicki's (Theresa) - it's a super gorgeous emerald green holographic polish. I only own one other green holo - Nubar Reclaim - and it pales in comparison to how stunning T's In A Tizz is!

   Lastly, there's Ocean Mist. Named after Nicki's love for all things related to the ocean - it's a very striking beautiful blue - almost teal - holographic polish. 

   In each of the swatch pictures, I've used 3 thin coats for opacity (without top coat). With only 2 coats, there was still VNL, but after the 3rd coat, it smoothed itself out and was completely opaque. Something to mention also, is that not only are they vibrant under the sun and the camera' flash, they're also quite stunning in the bottle (and on the nail) under regular lighting! I was really impressed with how strong the holo was in each polish!

   So if I've tempted any of you into taking a second look at these beauties (and the other 4 polishes to be added to the core range) make sure to check out the Celestial Cosmetics store on Monday January 6 at Noon AEST! Nicki is also on Instagram @CelestialCosmetics if you want to follow her for more pictures and updates.

*The item/s mentioned in this post were sent to me for my 100% honest review. This in no way affects my opinion of them. For more information, please read the Contact and Policy page of the blog*

Review: Bella's Touch Lacquer

   Hey y'all! And a happy Friday arvo to all my Australian readers - it's finally the weekend :D In today's post I'll be sharing swatches/reviews of another wonderful Australian indie brand: Bella's Touch Lacquer by Ellie Roczniak.

   First up is Pinky Promise. It's a dark pink jelly polish filled with tons of blue and purple matte glitters. This is 3 coats on it's own and you can see just how much glitter comes with each coat - it's like I dipped my nails in coloured sprinkles!

   It was a little sheer for me, and I don't particularly like having to do 3 coats for full opacity, so I tried it over a base colour as well. This is 1 coat over Australis #totesamaze (my favourite pink) and just look at that pop! Definitely will be a favourite combo in the future (my mum's already wearing it herself :P)!

   Next up is Beautiful Nightmare. It's a very sheer black jelly (I'd say it's more tinted black than an actual jelly) jam packed with different sized holo hexes. It looked absolutely stunning in the bottle! I tried layering this on its own until full opacity, but that wasn't going to happen without overloading my nails with glitter haha So I layered 2 coats of Beautiful Nightmare over a base coat of Sinful Colors Black on Black, and bam just look at that glitter! I'd actually like to try sandwiching this between a black jelly polish just to tone down the glitter a little - maybe for a post in the near future :D

   Last, but definitely not the least, is Aquamarine. It's an explosion of tiny blue, silver and holo glitters suspended in a sheer blue jelly base. This is 2 coats over Australis Sky's The Limit. And if you're a glitter fiend like I can be at times :P it's perfect for adding that little bit of sparkle to an otherwise plain blue mani. 

   You can find these beautiful polishes over on Ellie's etsy Bella's Touch Lacquer, though her store is currently closed for a make over, but should re-open in a couple of weeks, so keep an eye out! :D She's also on Instagram @bellastouchlacquer so you can check there for updates also.

   So which is your favourite? Mine is definitely Pinky Promise!!

AN Monday: Pink or Purple

   It's that time of the week again: Aussie Nails Monday! Though I am a day late :P The theme for this week was pink or purple, and of course, the purple sucker in me chose purple. I decided to go with my first ever BIG lemming: Gloss n Sparkle After School Special.

   I used two coats over a Max Factor deep purple polish I unfortunately don't know the name of (I accidentally ripped the label off of a long while ago *oops*), and also used Femme Fatale Eventide for the glitter gradient on my middle finger.

   Unfortunately, today was a bad day for photos, so this is the best I got with my S4 camera phone. Hopefully next AN Monday, I can spam you with tons more pictures!

   But do feel free to check out the AN Monday manis by the other girls - you can find a list of them here.

New Aussie Indie Brand: Moonstone Nail Polish Swatches + Review

   Hello, Hello, Hello! So for those of us who love our Aussie indies, there's a brand-spankin'-new brand that's entered the scene: Moonstone Nail Polish. AND it releases today!! Tuesday 29th October, at 9am AEDST - that's less than 7 hours away! *Hurray* The person behind it all is Caitlin Vine - a 20 year old girl with a love for mixing polish (and love potions too! :P haha Any Potterheads here?!) I was approached by Caitlin (@caitnails on Instagram) a couple of weeks ago to do some swatches for her, and I gladly accepted ^^

   The first collection for Moonstone Nail Polish includes 8 polishes, 2 of which I have to show you all today. Somehow, Caitlin knew (or by a lucky coincidence :P) my favourite colour was purple, and both the polishes she sent me were purple toned, and sparkly! First up is Radioactive. It's a violet shimmer, with a subtle pink to blue colour shift. 

   It can easily be worn on its own, and is opaque in 3 thin coats. As it is quite sheer, and requires multiple coats for complete opacity, be sure to wait a bit for each coat to dry before applying a new coat or you'll end up with bald spots - like I did in my impatient first attempt. 

   Though, since I AM a sucker for colour shifters, with my second attempt at swatching it, I opted to layer 1 coat of Radioactive over 1 coat of black, to intensify the shift. And this is the end result:

   ....purple, colour-shifty-goodness! It's quite soft and subtle, but very pretty nonetheless! 

   The second polish I have to show you all is one that took my breath away when I first saw it. Even just sitting in the bottle it promised such awesomeness. Dark Shines is a blue-purple jelly filled with shiny, sparkly, holographic goodness. Caitlin describes it as: "A blurple jelly jam-packed with deep purple holographic flakes with a blue shimmer."

   Again, as with Radioactive, it's easily buildable in 2-3 coats for opaqueness, but I chose to layer it over 1 coat of black. It does dry to a semi-textured finish, so it will need a generous coat (or two depending on your topcoat - I use Revlon Colorstay and needed 2 coats) of topcoat to smooth it out.

   It is absolutely stunning in the sun - all the tiny holographic particles come to life and dance at my fingertips. This to me, is like a blurple version of Ulta3 Triple Threat, or Butter London Black Knight, and I just love it when dark colours have that little bit of sparkle in them, giving them a bit more character... AND they look great when the light hits them!

   That's 2 of 2 that I have to share with y'all, so now if you are interested in getting your hands on these, or are curious to see the rest in the collection, make sure to head on over to their store Moonstone Nail Polish, and have a gander. They also have an Instagram account (@moonstonenailpolish) that you can follow for all their updates, and swatches. 

So which of the two is your favourite? For me, as much as I LOVE colour shifters, I'm obsessed with anything dark purple that sparkles in the sun :P so it's one more picture of Dark Shines for you all.

Review: Femme Fatale Cosmetics Press Kit

   Morning all :D So this month, I thought I'd give applying for a Femme Fatale Cosmetics Press Kit a go, and fortunately I was selected in this month's batch of applicants.

   Femme Fatale Cosmetics carries a wide range of Australian and International indie polish brands, as well as their own Femme Fatale Cosmetics range of beauty products. It has grown to become pretty much a one stop shop for all Australian nail polish lovers - though Sophie now offers international shipping so international customers can now order polish through the site!

   Now, onto the polish! In the kit, Sophie included 4 mini bottles from 4 different brands she carries on the website for me to swatch and review. I've decided to split the review in half and do the first two today, and the next two tomorrow. So first up is Love Thy Polish Shangri-La.

Taken in the light box using a flash on the SLR Camera

   Shangri-La is a peachy - pink linear holo that really surprised me! I'm not one for holos because the two that I have from the first Color Club Halo Hues collection looked washed out under normal light and only bedazzled (I like that word :P) me when in direct sunlight or under a flash. But Shangri-La was super holo just sitting in my room!

Under normal light taken with my camera phone

   It's coming off really pink in the above photo, but leans halfway between a nude peach and a dusty rose in person. It's such a unique shade, and is so soft and subtle on the nail, makes me feel so feminine :P I had no problems applying it, though the formula is a little sheer, but easily buildable. In all the swatch pictures, I'm wearing 3 thin coats with 1 coat of top coat. 

Taken outside of the light box, with direct flash from the SLR camera

   And of course I couldn't resist doing a bit of nail art on top :P My first successful watermarble of this style! Despite the bubbles (anyone have tips on how to NOT get them?!) I think it turned out pretty neat :D

   Next up, Femme Fatale Cosmetics Edge of the Cosmos. 

   It's a dark purple - almost black - jelly base jam packed full of glitter! It's incredible how much glitter a little bottle can hold! This is 3 "dabbed" coats over black, and as you can see, plenty of sparkle! Mixed in with the fine holographic particles are different coloured holo stars, moons and large dot glitters, as well as medium sized holo hex glitters. It's a feast for the eyes. 

   The only minor hurdle I came across when applying the polish (as with a lot of shape glitter polishes) was even placing of all the shape glitter. But it wasn't nothing a little dabbing and glitter placement couldn't fix! Not a biggie at all - easy as pie (: 

   Sophie writes in her description for this polish: 

            "To make this a little more interesting we vary batches slightly, replacing one or two glitters with another of same size and shape but different colour. We wanted to embody the ever-changing beauty of the universe with our mini version in a bottle ;)"

   And so, I decided to match it up with some colourful galaxy nail art that I've been meaning to try for ages. Didn't turn out too shabby :P

   These first two polishes get a big thumbs up - smiley face - YAY from me! You can purchase both of them (and a bunch of fabulous others) from the Femme Fatale Cosmetics website. 

Love Thy Polish Shangri-La

Femme Fatale Cosmetics Edge of the Cosmos

   So two down, two to go! Stay tuned for the other half :D

*The item/s mentioned in this post were sent to me for my 100% honest review. This in no way affects my opinion of them. For more information, please read the Contact and Policy page of the blog*