The Polish Convention NYC Spring 2017

Nothing To Disclose
Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so quiet on my end. I had been focusing more of my attention to social media, especially Instagram because last month, I went to NYC for PolishCon! While there, I got to watch over 34 brands do their hustle to sell beautiful multichrome, holo, creme, and glittery polishes to over 650 people who walked through the doors of the Grand Prospect Hall.

Not only was I able to be listed as an Official Blogger for the convention, but I also got to run an IG Story takeover for Nail It! magazine!

We are going to @thepolishconvention! 😍🙌🏽🤗Follow our friend @polishgalore on our Insta Story all day Saturday for a feel of PolishCon. 💅🏽#nailitdaily #polishcon

A post shared by Nail It! Magazine (@nailitmag) on Apr 28, 2017 at 6:00pm PDT

Sadly, I "broke" IG Story by posting TOO much and wasn't able to save a video of everything but if you checked it out, I had my picks from every vendor, some crowd shots, and my favorite, photos of people's nails both standing in line outside and inside the venue. There were some super awesome people there! I met a 12 year old who does her own nails, a couple of millenials with hundreds of thousands of IG followers, a Simply Nailogical super fan, and several bloggers whom I've only see online - including Becky from Naked Without Polish who promptly gave me a hug. By the way, I love hugs. They are pretty much the best way to say hi.

If you'd like to read my write up on Nail It Magazine's online site, it's available here.

Because I road in early with a brand, I got to watch PolishCon from the set up. As with any event, there were behind the scenes hiccups with tables, electricity and the big one was the lighting. While this venue was great for weddings or maybe even prom, the lighting scene for nail polish wasn't ideal. Most brands brought their own OTT lamps or other lights to be able to illuminate their polishes but some were literally left in the dark. The organizers tried to be as accommodating as possible and people figured it out.

Before VIP was let in the door at noon, I was able to get shots of nearly every table. While I focused on the polish, I really do need to commend the brands for their overall set ups. Packaging, display racks and even banners were just really an awesome added touch that I really enjoyed. Despite my careful planning, I did miss a few brand photos and I apologize in advance for that.

Anchor and Heart

Bluebird Lacquer

Bohemian Polish

Colors by Llarowe

Contrary Polish

Cupcake Polish

Different Dimension

Fair Maiden

Fleur de Lis

Flirtin Cosmetics

Girly Bits

Glisten & Glow

Great Lakes Lacquer

JulieG by Jesse's Girl Cosmetics

KBShimmer

Lavish Polish

LE Polish

Leesha's Lacquer

Native War Paints

Nine Zero

Noodles Nail Polish

Octopus Party Nail Lacquer

Pahlish

Painted Polish

Polish My Life

Pretty and Polished

The Subway Series featuring Polish my Life & Dollish Polish

Turtle Tootsie Polish

I think the only ones I missed were Ever After (and how on earth did I miss them! They were in the front!), The Don Deeva, Sassy Pants, Drip Drop Polish, Blush, and Anonymous Lacquer. Again, I do apologize but I did get everyone on the Nail It IG Story!

I did buy a VIP ticket for this convention which is always worth it. The items in the bag is well worth the cost of the bag, and the convenience of buying early is helpful. I didn't take advantage of my time as well as I should, and did miss out on a few polishes that I had my eye on.

However, overall, I only purchased 29 additional polishes and one coffee mug which shows great constraint compared to PolishCon Chicago where I came home with... well, a lot more than that (I think nearly double). Also at PolishCon NYC, I didn't mule (buy on behalf of someone else), but I did get a couple of gifts which I'm excited about.

Overall, I feel the event really was a success. People were polish-happy and new friendships were made. Before the event was over, it was announced that PolishCon Chicago was going to be held at the Festival Hall at the Navy Pier on September 23rd so start booking your tickets! I already have my flight - just need to get my hotel now.

ALSO the rumor is that there will be another "Road to PolishCon" series. This was new to NYC, where each week, the participating brands would release a NEW limited edition polish that was only available for one week on the Polish Convention website. If overpours were available, they were sold the day of the convention. It was a sweet twist on the convention house for those who aren't able to travel.

I have to get on a flight super early! It's been real! ✌🏻

A post shared by PolishGalore (@polishgalore) on Apr 29, 2017 at 9:34pm PDT

Morgan Taylor The Last Petal

Press Sample
Well I don't know about you, but my Facebook News Feed is FILLED with comment after comment about HOW GOOD the new live action Beauty and the Beast is. Last month, an Alamo Drafthouse opened in a nearby city, and since it's pretty much the best theater ever, I rounded up some friends and we're having a Friends Night Out tomorrow to go see the movie in 3D.

Now, I've had a rough week (I was due in October but we lost the child on Tuesday due to placenta accreta) so I really needed a pick me up and this beauty has been sitting on my desk for a bit and I knew it would be perfect. If you hadn't heard, Beauty and The Beast teamed up with Gelish and Morgan Taylor for a special collection that collaborates with the movie. The Morgan Taylor side is a 3 creme, 3 shimmer collection with a special overlay coat in a pink/gold patina that doubles as easy nail art. However for today, I chose to go simply with The Last Petal, a wine colored shimmer.

I used a base coat of Duri Rejuvacote, 2 coats of polish and finished with Glisten & Glow HK Girl top coat. I could have easily used one coat of polish because this is a highly pigmented lacquer, but I went with two just to be safe. My nails are still very thin and short during this recovery from acrylics in December but I think by this time next month, they may be all better and I can start growing them out again. Although I must say, it is SO much easier to type with nubby nails. Love live the nubs!

This color practically glows on its own. It does tend to lean a little more purple in person but I am not complaining because I love wine purple. While not totally unique, I think it flatters all people. I'm also super impressed with the opacity of the polish and hope to make it a few days with this nicely on my nails.

Morgan Taylor [Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube] is available at CosmoProf for $8.50 a bottle. Online, non-professionals can purchase Morgan Taylor at Loxa Beauty. 

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration. For more information, please read this post.

China Glaze Warm Wishes

 Press Sample

This past winter, China Glaze came out with the Seas and Greetings collection - a different take on the typical reds and greens holiday collection. The motivation was the warm winters in California where China Glaze is located. I was mixed on it because while I definitely wear polishes all year long, I feel like I was longing for my typical reds and greens during December so this collection just sat at my desk.

Today, however, I felt like wearing something bright and cheery. I'm on a bowling league (and I'm terrible) but there's something about painted nails that just make me feel happy. I pulled out Warm Wishes, a watermelon creme. I used a base of Duri Rejuvacote, 2 coats of polish and finished with Glisten & Glow HK Girl top coat. The formula on this polish was a bit runny so I had to wipe my brush an extra time to catch the lacquer from the top of the brush. With careful thin coats, I didn't flood my cuticles and had little clean up required.

Also, my nails are STILL trashed from my acrylic experience. I hope that within the next 4 weeks, it will all be grown out and I can start growing my nails out again. Right now, I'm have to cut them off as soon as the distal (also called the free) edge appears because it's so paper thin. Additionally, I now have a hard "bump" on my left thumb which may be injury to the nail where the acrylic was drilled down. Regardless, I miss my sturdy nails and can't wait to see them again soon.

I do love that China Glaze has a lot of "staple" colors in their collections - things that go well with anyone but are also good starting points for nail art. I tend to wear straight cremes to work with the occasional shimmer and keep my holos and glitter to the weekends, so I find this polish a good one to have in my stash. I'm still working to move all my polishes into my guest room and now I have guests coming in May so I need to get myself moving! Overall, I do enjoy this color - as I mentioned before, thin coats and extra wiping of the brush and you'll have no issues.

China Glaze [Website] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Instagram] can be found online through several etailers, including my favorite Head2Toe Beauty, Sally's Beauty Supply as well as TransDesign.

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.

The Color Box: March 2017 "Blue"

Press Sample
Happy March! I cannot believe how fast this year is going. I will be headed to NYC soon for PolishCon NYC and hope to see some old friends and make new ones as well! Today I am happy to bring you The Color Box: March 2017 "Blue". This is a color-coordinated collaboration box that was started by Manna's Manis & More, xoxo, Jen, Amanda Loves Polish and the first indie brand to sign on was Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer.

This is a quarterly collaboration box between 5 brands and 5 bloggers who create 5 different polishes in the same color theme. The color theme for each box is voted by members of The Color Box group on Facebook.

I was so honored to be asked - granted, I fill out the collaboration sign up form last year but in the 7 years that I've been blogging, I have never been asked to collaborate with a brand before. I was paired up with Super Moon Lacquer - a fellow Texan. I told her that I was looking for a dark navy with holo and copper to remind me of the night drives home with my family after seeing extended family and seeing either the orange street lights or the oil field flares in the sky as we drove the three hour drive home. And thus, Texas Treasures was born!

I used a base coat of Duri Rejuvacote, and two coats of polish. I could have easily gotten away with one, but I went two thin coats just in case. I topped it with Glisten & Glow HK Girl top coat.

Texas Treasures with flash

Texas Treasures in direct sun

Texas Treasures in indirect light

Texas Treasures in a light box

The rest of the polishes are equally amazing. For all, I used a base coat of Duri Rejuvacote, two coats of polish and finished with Glisten & Glow HK Girl Top Coat.

Sakura Skies by Baroness X and xoxo, Jen
A bright summer sky blue base packed with pink to peach to gold shifting glass fleck with a dusting of holo.

Manna's Mystical Masterpiece by Tonic Nail Polish and Manna's Manis & More
This cobalt blue duochrome shifts to purple with a fine linear holographic finish.

Blue A Fuse by Blush Lacquers and Bruised Up Dollie
A deep blue base with blue micro flakes, holo flakes, holo and a hint of black shreds.

Niagara Sunrise by Blue-Eyed Girl Lacquer and Imperfectly Painted
A faded denim with copper fine and medium shimmers and gold microflakes.

The Color Box will be available for pre-order starting March 10-17th. Twenty (20) boxes will also be available for purchase at the Indie Shop event in Atlanta, GA on March 11th. The price is $45 (plus shipping) and it does ship internationally! You can purchase through their website and also check out their Instagram for future boxes.

And because they are amazing, there is also a giveaway below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway