Monday Mani: Secret Galaxy by 6 Harts

This one I had a HARD time taking off... in fact, I didn't take it off until I *had* to because my whole pointer finger of polish fell off in the shower.  The tip wear on this was incredible, which is a testament to the high quality of the polishes I used.

Base coat by Northern Polish, two layers Willa by Zoya, two layers Secret Galaxy by 6 Harts, and top coat of Glitter Glaze by Girly Bits.  There is incredible sparkle to Secret Galaxy that I had a difficult time capturing on camera.  Holo only seems to want to be captured when the photo is blurry!  So you'll see that in some of my photos in an effort to show you that super sparkle.  Ignore my poor clean-up job - the macro setting is very kind to point out what the naked eye thought was fine!  All taken under studio lighting on a white background.  Love love love Secret Galaxy!

Let me know what you think of the color in the comments below!

Disclaimer: polishes purchased for my own personal use.  All opinions are my own.  No affiliation with Northern Polish, Zoya, 6 Harts, or Girly Bits.

40 Great Nail Art Ideas: Week 4 Orange, Purple, and Green + Reciprocal Gradient

Oh, boy, was this a toughie of a challenge!  I had reciprocal gradient as the pattern challenge and while I was familiar with it, I couldn't exactly remember what it was so I had to look it up.  I was also a little apprehensive because I've not actually done a gradient at all yet, but I knew enough about this cool technique to wonder if the colors weren't going to work well or just look like a hot mess (spoiler alert: I was right).  Thanks to a great Youtube tutorial by My Simple Little Pleasures, I was quickly able to learn how easy it is.  Patience and time are the key!  So I sucked it up and dove in.

Picking colors from my stash was hard.  I don't really own orange, and not much plain green.  It also doesn't help all my polish is currently stored in boxes due to my living situation so searching is a litte harder.  :)  The recent A Box, Indied had all three colors, but I felt the purple was too sheer for this and didn't "go" well in tone.  I felt a plummy purple was more appropriate.  However, I worried this darker color palette would be difficult for a gradient, even though I liked the undertones of the color combo.  I decided to risk it anyways.

I used Different Dimension Witch & Fabulous as the orange and Colors by Llarowe Doctor Bombay's Potion as the green, both from the October A Box, Indied.  From CbL's fall collection 2015 I chose Aubergine Dreams as the purple.  Luckily, because I had been wanting to try a gradient for a while I already had on hand Glisten & Glow's Ctrl-Alt-Del latex barrier.  Despite being scented, it smells like bathroom cleaner to me.  Although it doesn't bother me, I have read reviews previously to be cautious that it does bother some noses.  It is incredibly easy to apply, but I do need more practice on where to place it to get best results (there's some cracks and cervices I missed).  This stuff is awesome enough, though, that I might use it on every mani!  Especially since I'm lazy and also not skilled with clean-up (which you'll see from my pics below).

Doing a gradient is incredibly easy - I just painted onto up&up latex free foam cosmetic wedges - it's the waiting part that's the hardest.  I had to do several layers to get the orange to show, but it did eventually (kind of) work.  I used chevron vinyls to create striping down the middle to reveal the reciprocal aspect.  I've recently discovered the awesomeness that is Girly Bits' Glitter Glaze quick dry top coat - dries super fast, super tough, and super glossy that makes holo and glitter pop.

While this isn't my most favorite mani I've done, I am proud of my sponging technique on first try.  Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Shade lighting

Shade with indirect sunlight

Full sun in an attempt to show all the glitter and holo

Disclaimer: items were purchased by me for my personal use.  All opinions are my own.  No affiliation with the brands mentioned in this post

An InLinkz Link-up

Monday Mani: Polar Bear Club by Paint Box Polish

I've got some glittery goodness for you! This is a beautiful blue chock full of blue, purple, and green glitters. YUM! This was part of a collab box so the polish is not available by itself, and I think all the boxes are gone now. If you want to get your hands on this beauty, try searching in nail polish sales groups on Facebook or eBay. Check out Paint Box Polish for a lot of other glittery goodness today!

Shade

Shade

Full sun

Shade

Disclaimer:  products were purchased for personal use.  All opinions are my own.  No affiliation with Paint Box Polish.

40 Great Nail Art Ideas: Week 3 Geek

This week's prompt is Geek, which brings to my mind geeks vs. nerds vs. dorks.  However, I was seeing others in the nail art challenge pursuing art that honors their favorite "geeky" tv show.  So I started thinking about Dr. Who, Harry Potter, Big Bang Theory as geeky shows I know....  Then I realized I geek out over Friends!  I own the original boxed set and I put it on in the background when I craft so I literally have seen it over 50 times, easily.  So I tried recreating the iconic logo.  I used multichrome rhinestones as the dots because the color pattern varied too much on the logos I was looking at on Google and even on my own box set.  I apologize for the streaking on the white - I'm used to indies drying quickly and this is a mainstream polish that appears to dry VERY slowly and I keep mis-timing when to put on the top coat.

Tell me in the comments what's your favorite tv show or what you "geek out" about!

Disclaimer: all opinions are my own.  Products were purchased by me for my own personal use.  No affiliation with Zoya or other products used in this post.

An InLinkz Link-up

40 Great Nail Art Ideas: Week 2 Teal + Pattern-on-Pattern

We're underway and getting down to the nitty gritty of the nail art challenge. :)  Hoping I didn't mess up my assignment!  Prompts are assigned in a really cool, but seemingly complicated, way so crossed fingers I'm on track. ^_^  This week, the color is teal and I was assigned the pattern-on-pattern prompt.

I am actually not a fan of pattern-on-pattern so I sort of dreaded this one, and creativity was difficult as I am uninspired by the prompt.  I feel like it can turn ugly and messy really quickly - I've seen even the best of nail art bloggers struggle with it.  I wanted all my colors to be teal, but I discovered I did not own as many teal shades as I thought.

Inspired by the experiment on my thumb in my last faux ombre pattern post, I used Just My Cup of Tea'l by Girly Bits as the base; Teal We Meet Again by Sephora OPI as the second color; and Swoon flakies by Girly Bits as the tips.  As my second pattern, I layered on mermaid scales vinyls by What's Up Nails using Teal Oops by Colors by Llarowe.  Per usual (ha), this didn't exactly turn out how I envisioned, but at least the scales are visible over the SOPI layer.  Because life is cruel (jk), you can see I accrued some tip wear before taking photos.  Too many layers of polish. :/

So I'm curious to know - what are your thoughts on pattern-on-pattern manis?

 

Shade with indirect lighting

Shade lighting

I used Dazzle Dry by Girly Bits before putting on the vinyls layer.  Trust me, this lives up to the hype.  I was blown away how much richer the color popped after putting it on.  Definitely am going to have to do a comparison post to show you what I mean!  Not only that, but I was pleased to see it dried very fast and created a very hard, resilient top coat.

Disclaimer:  I am in no way affiliated with the products mentioned in this post.  All opinions are my own.  All products were purchased for my own usage.

An InLinkz Link-up

40 Great Nail Art Ideas: Week 1 Hobbies

I have joined another nail art challenge!  Another great one hosted by Crumpet's Nail Tarts.  I am challenging myself to the one-a-week prompt style.  I typically post manis on Monday, so this'll be an adjustment for me at first.  This week's prompt is hobbies!

Now, I consider myself to have many hobbies.  Crafting has always been my number one, but since I'm living with my parents that's kind of gone on the backburner due to space constraints (and them not being fans of how much room it takes)... plus I wasn't sure how to do nail art on that.  I enjoying cooking and baking, but, there again, haven't been really able to do that since this isn't my house.  I'm slowly getting to where make-up *might* be a hobby; nail polish definitely is, but I have a feeling plenty of other manis will be about that.  And then there's a few hobbies I've mine I've let go dormant: photography, scrapbooking, crocheting....

However, the thing I am most passionate about is animal advocacy: I could easily do it as a full time job.  I currently volunteer for my friend's rescue as well as dedicate my time to being a helicopter mom to three kitties.  I am also the random weirdo in your local pet store teaching you (and sometimes the employees!) about proper pet care while shopping.  While this might not be considered a traditional "hobby," it IS what I am most passionate about right now.  And I could come up with some nail art for it. :)

I used three untrieds from my A Box, Indied stash to create this mani: Pahlish Fields of Gold (March 2015), Contrary Polish When in Rome (Aug 2015), and Different Dimension Witch & Famous (Oct 2015).  In conjunction with some white polish as well as cat vinyl decals I purchased from What's Up Nails, I created a mani inspired by the colorings of my three adorable furbabies.  This came out a little more Halloweenie than I intended, but that's bound to happen when I'm working with polishes I haven't tried on before this.  Also when what's in your head doesn't translate as well as one hoped.

I had some difficulty applying the Contrary Polish.  I am not sure if this is due to it not liking my basecoat or that is simply its consistency.  I have had this issue in the past with Contrary Polish.  While the first coat is streaky and drags, the second coat evens things out.  The Different Dimension I had no difficulties with, although I'm not sure how I feel about the bigger brush.  Pahlish is a brand I'm already familiar with and have quite the stash already, whereas Contrary and DD I'm newly introduced through ABI.

Tell me in the comments below what you think!  And let me know what your favorite hobby is that would inspire your nail art mani!

 pinkie = Maddie

ring = Brandon

middle = Annabelle

pointer is a fun decal :)

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the polish brands mentioned above.  All opinions are my own.  Polishes were purchased by me for my own personal usage.

An InLinkz Link-up

Monday Mani: CbL Rainbow Connection Birthday Exclusive Loving Every Moment

This past week, I have had the fun of spearheading a group buy for Rainbow Connection's exclusive Colors By Llarowe polish called Loving Every Moment that was made for RC's 2nd anniversary.  When I opened the box, I was blown away by the gorgeousness.  Seriously, this is some CbL to the next level.  And I instantly knew this would be hard to photograph.

Application was on the thicker side than I'm used to for the CbL's I currently own, but that may be due to the rich complexity and intense holoness of this polish.  It's opaque enough that you could probably get away with it being a one coater with the right application technique, but I did two to really pop out that richness.  My nails like CbL so the polish dried quick, and slightly gel like.  My kind of polish!  Depending on lighting, it can lean pink or blue.  I've noticed natural light it leans blue and artificial light it leans pink.  And the times it's a straight up purple the richness and depth is drool worthy.  This polish is one of those you appreciate even more in person and can't capture it fully on camera.

I tried taking lots of pictures in several types of lighting.  As a result, some are a little blurry - it wouldn't play nice with the camera and sometimes the blurry ones capture the essence best (perhaps you've heard sometimes blurry photos capture intense holo best?).  This beauty you can purchase from the Rainbow Connection site.  It's been selling fast and I don't know how many restocks there will be!

 

 

studio lighting

 indoors, direct sunlight

outdoor shade

outdoor shade with indirect lighting

These last two shots really highlight the pink, purple, and blue!

Disclaimer: I am no way affiliated with Colors by Llarowe or Rainbow Connection.  Products were purchased by myself.  All opinions are my own.

Monday Mani: all the purples by Girly Bits

A few months ago, I created my most popular mani post to date.  I loved it so much, I really wanted to do it in other colors.  For a recent challenge in the Girly Bits fan group, I decided to use purples I own by GB to recreate the faux ombre I had previously done in green (but that was different indie makers).  I love this one just as much and I hope you do, too!  For the first time, I did these all under studio lighting.

Now, there's a little bit debate about my calling it a "faux ombre".  The art degree in me argues this counts as an ombre because it's the same color graded.  However, I've been told in the nail world an ombre is across fingers, and a gradient is per nail regardless of color choices.  I called it faux because I didn't blend.  But maybe it's faux because it's on each nail.  I'm curious your thoughts so please weigh in on the comments: do you categorize this as an ombre or a gradient?

I used Girly Bits Twitterpated, Remember Aja, and Seriously Sassy.  As usual, all applied beautifully.  Twitterpated was more sheer than I anticipated.  I ended up doing three coats because I don't like visible nail line.  Remember Aja I've already worn and it's one of my favorite purples of all time.  Seriously Sassy made the perfect tips.  I taped off on the diagonal and accented each polish with black striping tape.  I experimented on my thumb with one diagonal and one straight to see how it looks, and I totally like it and will do manis in the future this way.

What do you think of this look?  Are you excited for me to do other colors?

 

Disclaimer: all opinions are my own.  I am in no way affiliated with Girly Bits Cosmetics.  I purchased these items myself.

PRESS RELEASE: "Bad Hair Day" Alopecia Awareness Fundraising Shade

PRESS RELEASE: Glam Polish

For the month of September, we are raising funds and awareness for Alopecia.  All funds donated will go to Alopecia Areata Association of Australia Foundation Inc. to help fund wigs for children with alopecia and aid in educating against bullying.

We will also be accepting donations from our gofundme fundraising page, all proceeds will go to the Alopecia Areata Association of Australia. To donate please visit: http://makingadifference.gofundraise.com.au/page/GlamPolishAAAFFundraiser

Launch Info
Our Alopecia Awareness Fundraising shade "Bad Hair Day" will be launching from our website www.glampolish.com.au at the following times:
USA Launch Time: 6pm EDT Friday September 4th.
Australian Launch Time: 8am AEST Saturday September 5th.

A small amount of "Bad Hair Day" will also be available from some of our International Stockists in September.

Bad Hair Day - Navy blue scattered holographic with navy, ocean blue and silver ultra holo microglitter, a special shade made to help us raise awareness and funds for Alopecia Areata, this shade was named by Natalia Voss a 13 year old girl with Alopecia Areata, some days it can be very hard covering up patches of missing hair or even looking at your hair in the mirror when you have Alopecia Areata so we thought this was the perfect name for our fundraising shade, we are donating $7.00 AUD from the purchase of each bottle to the Australia Alopecia Areata Foundation Inc.

Information and Facts About Alopecia
There are over half a million Australians and around 6.5 million americans living with Alopecia - a condition where people lose their hair from all areas of the body including the scalp, for which there is currently no known cure.
Approximately 60% of people diagnosed are under the age of 20, and for children especially, hair loss can have a negative impact on their self-esteem, which in many cases is linked to anxiety, depression, impaired academic performance and lack of social inclusion. To support children affected by the condition, Australia Alopecia Areata Foundation & Variety grants wigs - helping children gain their confidence and feel more comfortable amongst their peers.
* Alopecia (al-oh-PEE-shah) is a HAIRLOSS Condition, that can cause round patches of baldness, or total body hairless.
* There are 3 Main Types of Alopecia: Alopecia Areata - round patches / bald spots, Alopecia Totalis - complete Scalp baldness and Alopecia Universalis - total hair loss from body and scalp.
*Alopecia Areata is a believed to be a AUTOIMMUNE disease: the immune system mistakenly attacks the body (hair follicles) instead of defending it.
*Alopecia Areata affects MEN & WOMEN equally. It can occur at ANY AGE, often begins during childhood or early teen years. It does not discriminate on race.
*Alopecia is NOT Contagious.

AAAF Foundation Information.
Australia Alopecia Areata Foundation Inc. (AAAF), is established to be the national Australia body supporting research to find a cure or acceptable treatment for all forms of Alopecia Areata, support those with the disease and their families, and inform the public about all forms of Alopecia Areata.
Our Service philosophy is to give each person the best chance of managing their alopecia journey positively, the whole family and each individual needs to be supported to manage their unique experience. By reducing the financial and emotional stress and enabling children, young people, adults and their support networks to develop their strengths and skills, AAAF assists the whole family to achieve that positive journey.

 

 

The Integrity of Handmade

Being a jewelry artisan who uses handmade nail polish in one of her lines, I try to keep a light foot planted in the indie polish world.  And while my decision to stay on the outskirts of the fold is calculated and purposeful, it still allows me to be cognizant of the problems going on so that I may know how it affects my own brand.

The recent debacle, or "PR nightmare" as my entrepreneurial spirit sees it, with Mentality polish highlights a struggle all us artisans will likely encounter at least once in our small business venture.  As Ashley is Polish Addicted points out in this new blog post highlighting the *cough* drama, handmade businesses are not exempt from customer service integrity more so than any other company or industry.  If anything, I argue being a small business has its advantages in addressing customer service problems (as well as its disadvantages).  In short, it means we can give individualized service that big box stores can't (but make us more vulnerable to customers with demanding and unrealistic expectations whose influence can be majorly impactful).  It is both a blessing and a struggle, an aspect that comes with the territory.

As an artisan and entrepreneur running a small handmade business, my passion to share handmade with the world is what drives me.  The integrity of handmade is a part of that gestalt.  I reiterate over and over to my customers that a major part of my brand is customer satisfaction.  I am unabashedly a perfectionist - if I am not happy with my product in production, that affects how I sell it... IF I sell it at all.  These pieces are either not sold or go into an Oopsie album with a full disclaimer.  While one of the beauties of handmade is its imperfections, another beauty is quality control.  My customers appreciate both sides of that coin: they indulge in the beauty of wabi-sabi, but also know to report to me any major defects in my pieces.  Every day I start with many intentions with my handmade business.  Handmade has spirit, has dignity, has integrity.  As artisans turned business owners, we must continue to spread that message and seek customers who appreciate it.

How Mentality is handling this whole base issue (*edit update: new info has come to light that indicates it may not be a base issue like Mentality is saying, that it's likely something that Mentality is doing.  WHICH makes this post that much more relevant!) not only baffles me, but blows my socks off with confusion.  As a business owner, I am obligated to fix wrongful situations.  As a handmade artisan, I am obligated to maintain quality control through testing and feedback.  As a human being, I am obligated to apologize and make things right in a moral and ethical fashion when my products do not live up to my guarantees.

With that being said, yes, Mentality, you have the right to handle situations as you please.  I respect that it is your company, which means it's your business how you make decisions and none of mine.  But know this: your customer service not only affects your customers and the future of your business, but it also affects MINE and those belonging to other handmade artisans.  We have many battles to overcome as handmade business owners (a long post for another day), and you just outed yourself as another bad apple for us to overcome.  Because, you see, we are such a small community that what one does affects us all.  As a fellow artisan stated, "When this type of thing happens it makes all handmade artisans a bit looking bad, and now we have to pay for what someone has done."  I'm here to share my passion, my calling... we already have enough barriers to overcome, let's not make each other another to overcome.


I've been crafting since I could hold a piece of paper and scissors.  So to my fellow handmade artisans know this: us veterans can smell whether you're a dedicated artisan wanting to share your craft with the world or if you're looking to make a quick buck.  We are watching.  We know.  So don't make me attach another eye roll to your name and throw me in a tearful rage of frustration with another reason to keep me up at night.


Be an inspiration, not a distraction.  Let your heart guide your journey, for handmade is a beautiful one from the soul.  And to those that keep spreading the message: keep on fighting.  This is a team effort and we've got your back.

Feature Friday: Farm Hussy - The Series v1 - Summer 2015 Collection

It is no secret that my favorite handmade lotion is made by the mad genius, Julie, behind Farm Hussy.  Now, before you go recoiling at that name, it's important to take a dandy at this page explaining the inspiration and the usage of the word in its positive, empowering form.

Julie's products are not short of being spectacular.  I was introduced to her products back in '09 or '10 (hard to say now) when I received them in a sampler.  It was that same parting-of-clouds moment when I discovered handmade soy candles.  Here was the lotion that I was looking for: thick, unbelievably moisturizing, and incredibly scented.  Since then I've sung of Farm Hussy's praises to the moon and back, and converted many a friend to her products.

I am an unabashed addict.  To the point that I currently have over 100 of her products in my possession.  Fortunately (and sadly) for me, her sales support my need to constantly rotate through scents and I have a problem completely finishing a jar or bottle.  I'm working on that.  Promise.

My nose is a connoisseur for scents (thank goodness, since I make soy candles) so it only seemed fitting to create a series in which I review scents from each new collection she releases to help others decide what they would like.  Because, yes, it really.really.really is that hard to decide each time.

So strap on your seatbelts and get ready to delve into the ongoing series!

Hey, it's my most recent haul!  Almost all scents in this box are from the Summer 2015 Beach Hussy's Sugar Shack Collection.  Like all scent reviews, it's important to consider these are simply my opinions.  I'd advise taking everything with a grain of salt, so to speak, as my nose is certainly not your nose and your nose probably likes plenty of things differently than my nose (for example, I'm not a fan of patchouli so I tend to avoid that scent).  However, it's always easy to ask in the Facebook group which are the top smellers for that month - I have noticed there certainly are some consensus favorites - for a second opinion.

Julie recently reformulated the lotion sticks and I was eager to try the new formula.  I loved the old formula and was curious to see how she could possibly improve upon it.  She did not disappoint!  First ingredient: organic cocoa butter.  As someone who is transitioning to all natural and organic products/foods, this was totally awesome possum to see.  I like to use these as a no-fuss way to apply an intense amount of moisturizing goodness on stretch marks and cracked heels.  I thought the old formula worked fast... the new formula kicks its butt!  I couldn't believe it!  It visibly reduced my old growth stretch marks even more overnight and pretty much completely healed my cracked heels I had been struggling to resolve from this rugged drought.  Granted, I gave them a beating with the PedEgg beforehand, but I've never had such an instantaneous impact from any b&b product before!  Thank you new formula!

Every order, I have to get my favorite products in my favorite scents.  Hard to do since I have SO many favorites, but here's the three I chose this round as I had run out of these scents in my stash (hard to believe, I know).  So they are not from the new collection, but, rather, old staples that I always lust after.

Tropical Rainforest: Rainfall on thick lush greenery, surrounded by exotic orchids and tropical fruits for a fragrance so refreshing you'll want to SAVE IT!! This is a Best Smeller every Summer!

My review: smells like you stepped into a fruit orchard during a rain, definitely fitting to its name.  This is a top smeller by customers, and there's good reason, too.  A lovely spa scent with a little kick, it's a nice, even scent for those days you don't need a huge punch to your nose, but appreciate a clean mix.

Sugar Violet Riot: Cambrian Bergamot and Violets collide at this concert of floral and Garden Party Sugared Crumpet notes trumpet with a Spectacular Scent Crescendo!!

My review: such an instantaneous hit among fans when it was first released that it sold out the first week, this is clearly an addictive scent.  I purchased it for the bergamot note, one of my favorite all-time scents, but quickly discovered this scent is an indescribable pleasure.  A scent that's complex, yet delicious beyond belief, this sugary floral is one you're sure to want to bathe yourself in.

Don't Skinny Dip in the Snappin' Turtle Pond: Make sure that your goods are safely tucked away, if you dare to go bare in the ole' swimmin' hole! You're guaranteed to be bait, if anything catches a whiff of these dark cherry notes blended into a whirlpool of Jasmine, pink raspberries, brown sugar, cotton candy, white musk and splash of fresh cream.

My review: I personally tend to gravitate towards her cherry scents, for whatever reason, and added this to my line-up of faves after first application.  While the cherry notes certainly take center stage reminiscent of a bag of Tootsie Roll Pops, the jasmine and musk notes meander in the background to round out the end of the experience that delights your nose.  The sugary notes serve to augment the cherry at the forefront.




Disclaimer: products purchased for my own review.  All opinions are expressly my own.  No affiliation with Farm Hussy and its products.

Life Lessons from a Handmade Artisan

Essentially, this blog is an extension of my handmade business: a space where I can place the "extras" that relate to my entrepreneurial artisan lifestyle, but don't quite fit appropriately on Facebook or Instagram.  I am an artisan that believes in supporting handmade, shopping local, and eating organic as best as I can.  In my vision for this blog, I intend to discuss and impart the life lessons I learn as someone running a handmade business in a world of cheap trinkets, trying to live+breathe a lifestyle of handmade, and educate others about the massive benefits of supporting local.

I've slowly eased my way into reviving my blog, and have many plans for its future.  Like my business, it is a part of the makeover of my branding.  You may have already noticed the series #MondayMani, through which I feature handmade indie nail polishes - which ties into my support for handmade and my using indie polishes in my jewelry.  On Fridays, posted series will include Feature Friday, in which I feature and review a handmade product; or Foodie Fridays, in which I post a new dish I've tried from my clean eats inspired arsenal of recipes.  I will also be posting weekly topics on the lessons I've learned on running a successful handmade business and wish to teach others so that they may thrive, too, at doing what they love.

Excited as I am to watch this blog grow?  Have ideas for topics I should write about?  Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!  I look forward to connecting with you all.

Monday Mani: #52WPNMC with Superficially Colorful Tsahik Accented by Darling Diva The Alchemist and Dark Ritual

This week's Monday Mani features red, orange, and green from the #52WPNMC nail art challenge.  My mani was inspired by Lacquerologist's gorgeous mani from last week, which I discovered in my feed on Instagram and you can find on her blog here (and, yes, I SO want that KBShimmer now!).

I used Superficially Colorful in Tsahik for the orange, Darling Diva in The Alchemist for the red, and Darling Diva in Dark Ritual for the green.  I'm not a big fan of orange in general and, thus, don't have really any in my stash, so I thought I was *really* stretching it using Tsahik, but thought I could roll with it since it's described as a bright holographic orange/coral red polish.  What I discovered pleasantly surprised me: while in indoor lighting it clearly leans coral in hue, in the outdoors it lights up to an almost-neon orange.  Crazy cool!  Formula was ah-mazing on this, and could easily be a one coater depending on how you applied it.  I went for two thin coats.  As is the case with my Darling Diva polishes, no application issues there either.  Although I was a little impatient applying topcoat (need to get better about that!), it really brought out the holo in Tsahik, which otherwise dries as semi-matte.  Dark Ritual is a deep blackened evergreen linear holo and The Alchemist is a bright red holo.

Tell me in the comments what you think!  It's hard to put these colors together - did I pull it off?

Indirect outdoor lighting under shade

Full shade

Full shade

Full direct sun

Monday Mani is about showcasing beautiful indie polishes that I've purchased through lifestyle shots. So many swatches out there are captured under lighting and conditions that aren't common of every day. My intention is to show mani's under typical lighting and wearing conditions so you can decide if the beauty is right for you or not. Please note that although colors are accurate on my computer monitor (Macbook Pro), colors do vary among devices. Professional blogger swatches are perfect - here's my life lessons from a handmade artisan.

Disclaimer: All reviews and opinions are my own. Products were purchased with my own money. No affiliation with Superficially Colorful, Darling Diva, and their respective products.

An InLinkz Link-up

Monday Mani: #52WPNMC with Picture Polish Tail Feather, Girly Bits What the Deuce, and A England Saint George

Week 35 of the 52 Week Pick N Mix Challenge is "patchwork" or "bright & happy".  I went with bright and happy.  I always think of yellow when I think "happy" (as most people probably do), but my first mani for this challenge was an epic fail.  I also think of bright green when I think happy so I went for something I haven't tried before and did a faux ombre on a diagonal with green.  I got a little impatient with applying the top coat so I had to do a little patch job to attempt to correct the smearing, but other than that I am SO stoked with how this looks.

Featured on bottom is three thin coats of Tail Feather by Picture Polish, a lime green bijou holo that leans to the mint side and is a little sheer.  Application was easy and did a good job of self-leveling (which it needed).  The middle color is What the Deuce? by Girly Bits, a kelly green holo shimmer that is saturated with color.  GB is always great, and I'm loving this color.  The darkest green, and last layer, is Saint George by A-England, which is described as a teal, but I would argue is more of a forest green loaded with holo.  I put skinny white striping tape on the two fingers that feature all three colors.

I'm definitely loving this nail art look and am going to try for some more faux ombres with other colors!

Indirect sunlight on the patio, afternoon sun

In the shade under trees

Somewhat direct afternoon sun

Indirect lighting on the patio, afternoon sun

Complete and direct afternoon sunlight

Monday Mani is about showcasing beautiful indie polishes that I've purchased through lifestyle shots. So many swatches out there are captured under lighting and conditions that aren't common of every day. My intention is to show mani's under typical lighting and wearing conditions so you can decide if the beauty is right for you or not. Please note that although colors are accurate on my computer monitor (Macbook Pro), colors do vary among devices. Professionals blogger swatches are perfect - here's my life lessons from a handmade artisan.

Disclaimer: All reviews and opinions are my own. Products were purchased with my own money. No affiliation with Picture Polish, Girly Bits, or A England and their respective products.

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