Takko Lacquer Fall 2016 Collection [Partial] Swatches & Review

Hello dear friend of mine! How was/has been your holiday season this year so far? I literally cannot fathom how this is the last week of the year, it's so nutty to me. But out with the old, in with new I guess! Today I have some shimmers and glitters from indie brand Takko Lacquer's Fall 2016 collection to show you. I got these a bit late so pardon my tardiness, however there are a few restocks coming up if you're itching to get some. Let's take a look!

Press Sample

Winter Succulents is a cool, dusty sage green crème filled with gold micro flecks and actual silver dust. This leaves me breathless, so gorgeous and dainty and perfect for any time of year. Great, easy to apply formula, very opaque. I used two coats here.

Boyfriend Jeans is just like a deep dark pair of denim blue jeans, complimented with coppery red iridescent shimmer. Stunning and striking! This is two coats. Dries dull so you'll want a shiny top coat.

Stoned was created to look like crushed marble quartz, it has a very light beige-grey base filled with black and gold micro flakies and a ton of golden shimmer flecks. This is another excellent polish, goes on like a dream and I got full coverage in two coats. The finish is dull and just the teensiest bit gritty upon dry down, but a top coat gives it a jolt of shine and smoothness.

Queen Of Hearts is a cherry red jelly filled with a generous helping of different sizes of translucent gold flakies. Surprisingly not difficult, sometimes jellies like this filled with chunky accents can be, well...chunky, but this was just fine. A touch thick maybe, but very easy to handle. I used two coats. This looks darker indoors, but the sun kinda shines through the jelly to give it an inner glow.

Starships is a greyed silver duochrome polish that flips to bright green and then to warm brownish copper, filled with holographic flakes to give a galaxy-esque look. Another great formula, went on effortlessly and opaque in two coats.

I had to give you a shade photo too, to show the duochrome better. I really love this!

Mariposa is a hearty pumpkin orange filled with golden shimmer and gold and pink glimmering flecks. This totally reminds me of Rescue Beauty Lounge NailsandNoms, only that one has blue shimmer and is a slightly more vibrant orange. Really nice formula, glides on the nail with ease. Very good coverage, you could almost get away with one coat, but I used two.

Narwhals is an icy periwinkle blue crème filled with tiny silver micro flakies. This was super buttery and crazy opaque! A one coater, but I did two like usual. The name of this makes me happy, so cute!

Merbunny is a sweet porcelain baby pink jelly filled with iridescent green and gold flakies. This can be built up on it's own or layered over darker colors for a different look. This one was on the thicker side but sheer. It was a touch streaky on two coats and my nail line was still visible, so I did three. I adore the look of the finished color, very princess-like.

You can purchase their products on the Takko Lacquer website; these are sold out now but will be restocked sometime in January. They range in price from $12-13 each. They will also be restocked at Color4Nails in January, no exact date yet. Let me know what you think of these shades! My favorite has to be Winter Succulents, but I really enjoyed them all! This may be my favorite group of Takkos I've tried from them yet!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

Pretty Serious Cosmetics Holiday 2016 Ghosts of Christmas Past Collection Swatches & Review

I'm back today with another bunch of gorgeous shades from Pretty Serious Cosmetics, their Holiday collection for 2016, Ghosts of Christmas Past! Last year we got the Ghosts of Christmas Future, so maybe next year we'll get the Ghosts of Christmas Present? Haha on to the pretties!

Press Sample

Very Merry Berry is a deep neutral red jelly crème. This applied easily and was nice and opaque in just two coats.

Fairy Lights is a pale pearly frosted grey with pink and purple shimmer. This is ethereal and glowy, not a frost so there are no brush strokes to be seen! Lovely to apply, three coats.

Enchanting Evergreen is a deep evergreen with flat green shimmer laced throughout. Fabulous, effortless formula. This is two coats.

Tarnished Tinsel is a full coverage gold glitter with sneaky bits of red and silver twinkle here and there. The gold glitter pieces are actually very small, short bar pieces, my friend Peachy Polish has an excellent macro on her review in case you want to see the splendor! I used two coats.

Velvet Bow is a dark buttery smooth metallic red, one of those shades with an internal glow. Insane formula, a one coat wonder but I used two here.

Peace On Earth is a pale minty green with a soft but robust pink shimmer. An almost on the nose dupe for YSL Peace Green, if you've been lusting after that one. The strong shimmer and pigmented base lend to an easy two coat formula.

Mojito is a color shifting topper that flexes from gold to green to subtle blue. I layered one coat over Very Merry Berry. This looks so rad! I bet it would be even extra with a matte top coat, I'm kicking myself for not trying that out and taking a photo.

Jack Frost is an icy shimmer topper with added iridescent glitters that positively glow! I layered one coat over Enchanting Evergreen for a glistening winter look.

This collection is available on the Pretty Serious Cosmetics website now for $9.95 AUD, which is about $7.20 USD with the current exchange rate. I'm very pleased with this collection, we get some traditional holiday colors in unique finishes and some out of the box shades too! Let me know your thoughts!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

Shleee Polish New Shades Swatches & Review

Hi there again! I wanted to thank everyone so much for the incredibly kind sentiments on my last blog post. In case you missed it, it's kind of important and I'd love if everyone gave it a glance. Now on to more polish! Today I wanted to show you some fun shades from indie brand Shleee Polish!

Press Sample

Mean Girl is a sweet baby pink polish loaded with blue/teal glass fleck shimmer. This formula was a touch thick, but that helps with it's opacity. I used three coats here. This reminds me of the movie Clueless, but I'm guessing the name is probably a reference to Mean Girls haha.

Salazar Slytherin 3.0 is a deep green holographic polish accented with silver holographic micro glitters. This applied effortlessly and was opaque in two coats. Named after a character in the Harry Potter universe, the founder of the Slytherin house at Hogwarts. I am a Ravenclaw, but I'm pretty sure I have some Slytherin tendencies, so maybe you could call me a Slytherclaw ;)

Mystic Jadeite is a pale, faded mint shade with purple shimmer, holo flakes, and iridescent glitter pieces. This is kind of a shade shifter, it leans more blue on me but it looks kind of greenish in different lighting. It's a little sheer but not as much as I expected. Three coats.

Jakku is a blend of glitters and mica shimmer in a clear base that creates a gorgeous reflective copper/bronze shade. Nice and opaque in just two coats. A real stunner, I am in love with this! Named for a desert planet featured in Star Wars. This dries flat, the glitter pieces don't stick up which is nice.

Sectumsempra is a blackened polish with strong green shimmer and silver holographic microglitter and shimmer. This was very opaque and goes on like butter. I used two coats here. Another Harry Potter reference, this is the name of a dangerous spell, certainly not to be messed with!

Moon Crystal Power is a mix of ultra holographic flake glitter pieces in purple, blue, and pink in a clear base. I built this up in three coats, but it can also be used as a layering polish. I believe the name is referencing Sailor Moon, one of the maker Ashley's favorites. Dries gritty so you'll want a thick top coat.

Emerald Candy is a vivid emerald green jelly with silver holographic microglitter and flakes. This applies easily, nice and even. It is a jelly so it lends to being a bit transparent. Despite that I was able to get full coverage with just two coats!

Invocation is a blend of purple and dark grey holographic microglitters in a clear base. This is another one that you can build up or layer; I put on three coats here. Dries gritty so I recommend a thick top coat for a smooth finish.

These shades and more can be purchased on the Shleee Polish website for $10-11 each. Let me know what you think of these polishes! Any catch your eye in particular? My favorite has to be Salazar but Jakku is a close second!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

Pretty Serious Cosmetics Naileontology Collection Vol. 4 Swatches & Review

Hey folks! I have three new polishes to show you today from Australian indie brand Pretty Serious Cosmetics. These shades are part of the Museum of Naileontology collection, shades from the past they have re-imagined and made their own! Let's take a look at what they cooked up from the wild depths of the nail polish archives!

Press Sample

Chariots Of The Red Sea has a warm red jelly base filled with silver twinkly shimmer bits. This is actually kind of unique to my collection, which is a feat for a red! Great, easy to apply formula. This is two coats.

Disc Of The Heavens is a jade green with a angelic glaze of green and gold microshimmer. A stunning shade, one that captivated the nail polish world a few years ago and this is sure to satiate a few lemmings, one of mine in particular! Thin but manageable formula, I used two coats here for an opaque finish.

Mad Skull Of Cloverton is a pale lilac purple that leans iridescent with a strong green shimmer. This rides the edge of being a frost, but wasn't quite there, which is good in my opinion. A touch sheer and slightly brushstrokey, but not terribly so. This is three coats.

These shades are all available right now on the Pretty Serious website. They are $9.95 AUD, or about $7.27 USD. (They convert the prices to whatever currency your country uses, so simple and convenient!) Let me know what you think of these colors! I have some more goodies from PS Cosmetics to show you soon, so stay tuned!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

Nine Zero Lacquer Holiday 2016 Collection Swatches & Review

I'm back again today with another holiday collection for you, this time from indie brand Nine Zero Lacquer! In case you don't know, this brand was created a little over a year ago by Jessface90, a long time YouTuber. She makes videos about, you guessed it, nail polish! I love that her brand is so creative and has excellent formulas, because this gal really knows her stuff when it comes to the polish game. Let's take a look at what she has cooked up for the 2016 holiday season!

Press Sample

Sugar Cookie is a white crelly with red and green metallic shredded glitter and gold holographic glitter. This is super densely packed with those glitter pieces, but that doesn't make it difficult to apply which is nice. I got great coverage in just two coats. Some of the flakie bits can stick up a bit so you'll want a thick top coat.

Pink Christmas is a full coverage pink microflake polish with a gold flash and added holographic effect. I didn't realize this was made up of the microflakes at first, I thought it might just be a metallic shimmery holo, but they're there all right! Excellent formula, opaque in two coats. Super shiny!

Balsam is a light pine green holographic with tiny gold flakes. Gorgeous green polish, and I can always use more of those! Nice strong holo flame too. This is two effortless coats.

Golden Lights has a gold holographic base filled with semi-transparent rainbow glitter hexes. This is a gold version of Twinkle Lights from their 2015 holiday collection. (Which is also still available on their website, fyi!) I used three coats here. You could also layer it over an opaque base color for a different look.

Frost has a vibrant teal jelly base filled with silver holographic microflakes. Lovely shade, and we all know I am head over heels with holo flakes these days! Great formula, a tad sheer but builds up in three coats. Dries a bit dull so I suggest a shiny top coat.

Midnight has a deep purple jelly base full to the brim with silver holographic microglitter. This one was just a tad runny, so make sure not to overload your brush. I used two thick coats but you could also do three thinner layers. Another one that has a glitter texture so you'll want a thick top coat for a smooth finish.

Stuffed (crelly) is a reboot of Stuffed from the 2015 Thanksgiving collection. Not part of the Holiday collection, but I had to show it off. It has an off white crelly base filled with gold holographic microglitter, and red, orange, garnet, copper, and brown glitters. Packed with glitter and a touch thick, but pretty easy to apply. Two coats here. I recommend a thick top coat for this one because it dries a little textured from the glitter.

This collection along with Stuffed is available now on the Nine Zero Lacquer website. They are $9-$11 each. All six shades from the Holiday collection can be purchased together for $58. There are also a few polishes available from last year's holiday collection up for sale too. I'm a huge Nine Zero fan and I can't say enough good things about them, but this collection kinda knocked my socks off! Let me know what you think about these!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

Potion Polish Magic of Christmas Collection Swatches & Review

I can't believe it's December y'all, it's been one crazy year! I've welcomed the snow and the cold weather, but I'm sure I'll be sick of it soon haha. Is it cold where you are? Any-who, I've got another awesome indie holiday collection for you today, it's the Potion Polish Magic of Christmas collection! And spoiler alert...it's my favorite collection they've ever done!

Press Sample

Christmas Cheer is a deep plummy purple with a blue sheen that shifts from a dark violet to a magenta cherry red to a cobalt blue with holographic flakes mixed in. This is a gorgeous shade and I was sad to take it off! Good formula, a touch on the runny side, but you get the right amount on your brush and you're set! This is two coats.

Snowmelt is a fosty winter blue with added silver flakes and a soft holographic effect. This formula knocked my wooly winter socks off! Effortless to paint with, opaque in just two coats!

Very Merry is a deep cranberry holographic with added twinkles of gold glitter. Stellar and super simple formula, two coats for coverage. This reminds me of a yummy bowl of cranberry sauce, with holo!

Define Naughty is a light creamy beige with a soft holographic effect. This shade was very easy to apply for such a light color, and it was more opaque than I expected! I used two coats here.

All Decked Out is a peachy warm rose gold jelly stuffed with holographic flakes. Nice and easy formula, no issues here. I found it looked great at two coats but you can make it even more opaque by using one more layer. Those holo sparks are dazzling eh?

Morning Mocha has a dark chocolatey base filled with strong copper shimmer and golden bronze chrome flakes. Another great formula, no fuss here! Two coats for full opacity. This guy dries a bit dull so you'll want a shiny top coat.

Even Santa Loves Pink is an adorable soft pink leaning slightly lavender holographic with gold accents. Can you believe it, this one is great too! Two easy dreamy coats. I'm head over heels for this, I always like pink at Christmas time!

Holly Bough is rich dark green holographic with some glimmery gold chrome flakes. It was very smooth and lovely, just glides on the nail. I used two coats here.

This collection is available now on the Potion Polish website. They range in price from $10.00 - $10.75 each. Let me know what you think of these shades! They really hit it out of the park for me, I'm in love with every shade!

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

China Glaze Holiday 2016 Seas and Greetings Collection Swatches & Review

This year for the holiday season China Glaze is doing things a little differently! They are taking us on a tropical escape from the snow and cold to give us "warmed up" winter in the form of bright shades, shimmer and vibrancy! Let's take a look at the Seas and Greetings collection!

Press Sample

Good Tide-ings is described as a cool blue lavender, or in other words, a periwinkle crème. This is a total one coat wonder, excellent buttery formula that is very opaque. I used two coats here, as usual.

Warm Wishes is a watermelon coral with super subtle silver shimmer. This formula was on the thin side, so it could be runny if you overload your brush. I noticed some slight streaks after two coats, so I used three layers here.

Joy To The Waves is a shimmering "serene" blue with a strong gold flash. This is thin and a bit sheer. I used three coats for full coverage. This type of shimmer can get brushstrokey so I recommend polishing with care.

Eat, Pink, Be Merry is a pale pink with subtle shimmer. Another thin formula, and a little sheer. I found that floating the brush over the nail instead of pressing down to be the best method of application to ensure a streak-free finish. This is three coats.

Partridge In a Palm Tree is an aqua green matte with silver shimmer. This is one of those mattes that dries SUPER fast. And if you put on too thin of a layer, it can crack upon dry down. I got the best results when I applied this very quickly with a good amount of polish on my brush. If you manipulate it too much you will get uneven streaks. Very opaque, this is two coats but you could get away with one if applied well.

And you know I had to show this to you with top coat. The shimmer comes out like whoa!

Let's Shell-ebrate has a clear base with purple hexes, super tiny purple microglitters and soft gold flake shimmer. I layered two coats over Eat, Pink, Be Merry. You could also layer two or three coats of this on by itself for a different look.

I wanted to show you a shot of Let's Shell-ebrate in the shade to better highlight the gold flecks, as they are quite prominent but the full sunlight photo washes them out a bit.

Snow Way! is a winter white with a strong iridescent gold shimmer flash. Pale shades can be tricky to apply, but this was pretty straightforward and not finicky. I used three coats here for full opacity.

Tis The Sea-Sun is a vibrant coral crème with a sprinkle of practically invisible shimmer. A more orangey red kind of coral, thin but not runny or difficult. I found this really easy to polish with actually! This is two coats.

Sand In My Mistletoes is a peachy nude crème. This was a little thin, but surprisingly opaque. I saw some faint streaky-ness on two coats though, so I used three for good measure.

The More The Berrier is a metallic magenta foil. A more typical holiday type shade, this reminds me of a bold party dress. This is absolutely a one coat polish, I even left it alone at one because it looked so great I felt another coat couldn't improve it any more!

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Starfish is an iridescent gold-to-green shimmer topper. I am convinced this was made to pair with Partridge In a Palm Tree, it looks perfect in my humble opinion haha. This is two coats over Partridge.

Seas and Greetings is a striking amethyst purple shimmer. This formula reminds me of the old school polishes that were full of chemicals, kinda sheer and a bit watery but when built up they look really dimensional and glowy. This is three coats.

This collection is available now at Sally Beauty Supply stores and online at www.sallybeauty.com for $6.99 each. This is a crazy refreshing color palette for me right now, being knee-deep in the usual holiday reds, greens and dark colors haha. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I'm really pleased with the departure from the status quo for the season. My favorite is the combo of Partridge In a Palm Tree and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Starfish. What do you think of this collection?

❤ Kellie

The products mentioned were provided for an honest review.