butter LONDON NYFW 2014

Fashion Week may have been covered in snow, but the nails were hot. I will be posting wrap ups this week from different brands, starting with butter LONDON. 

I was pretty happy with all that butter LONDON put out this year. Lead Manicurist Katie Jane Hughes had some great ideas that translated well into the fashion world. I was especially excited to see sponged gradients, water marble and even a tweed design. I was not as impressed by the Lela Rose show, but hey - overall butter LONDON gets an A from me.

(All images courtesy of butter LONDON.)

Salon Perfect Love, Lashes and Lacquer

THE LOOK OF LOVE

Valentine’s-Inspired Lashes and Polish from Salon Perfect® 

China Glaze Wish On A Starfish

Press Sample 
It may have been the biggest trend of 2013, but it appears that texture isn't going anywhere. The China Glaze Sea Goddess collection is much like the "texture" collection they came out with last year. The texture is more like stucco or popcorn ceilings which I have an absolute love/hate with. When this collection arrived, I really, really, REALLY wanted to love it. I immediately wanted to try this lovely bubblegum pink with gold and light green shimmer - Wish On A Starfish.

I used a base coat of Seche Natural, two coats of polish and no top coat. This texture polish can be a bit of a drag. Literally. First, I didn't find it to be as opaque as I'd prefer. When I wear this polish again, I will have to use a base color coat of either white or pink in order to make sure none of my natural nail shows. Secondly, you have to let your first layer dry pretty well before applying a second or the polish with drag off with the brush. Despite all those, I really did enjoy wearing the polish.

Here in the sun you can see what I mean about the whole visible nail line thing. It's not to the point where I'd remove the manicure before going out, but it's one of those little things that as a nail fanatic, I can pick out immediately.

In the indirect light, the gold/light green shimmer shows through better and so does the whole nail line... Oy. Like I said, I really wanted to LOVE this polish but instead I just like it. I kept thinking it would be a texture version of Strawberry Fields, which is one of my favorite polishes. Here is my super old swatch of it - I need to update this old post!

Anyway, I'm excited to play more with this collection because they are really beautiful colors!

China Glaze [Website] [Facebook] [Twitter] 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.

China Glaze Sea Goddess

HEAR THE SIREN’S SONG WITH CHINA GLAZE® SEA GODDESS 

Swim into Spring with Six Sparkling Shades Discover the hidden treasures of the ocean this spring with China Glaze® Sea Goddess. 

Valentine's Day Nails for Nail It!

Press Sample 

Valentine's Day is coming to a close but in case you're getting ready for a night out, here's a quick DIY for some stylish nails!

Step 1: Start with clean hands and nails painted with your choose of base coat. 

Cult Nails Get It On ($10 http://www.cultnails.com/get-it-on-perfecting-base-coat/)

Step 2: Apply two thin coats of Cult Nails Kiss, a primary red crème with a wax finish – no need for a matte coat!

Cult Nails Kiss ($12 http://www.cultnails.com/kiss/)

Step 3: Using ORLY Instant Artist in black and white, paint the letters “LOVE” on your nails. No worries if you mess up – the ORLY Instant Artist paints are water based so you can rinse your nails and start again! 

ORLY Instant Artist Water Based in Crisp White & Jet Black ($6.50 https://www.orlybeauty.com/nail-color/nail-color-by-collection/instant-artist.html)

Feeling the love? Paint the letters “TRUE” on your left hand for a truly lovely manicure! 

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

Gelish MINI Nail Art Kits

For some, nail art comes naturally. For me, it's a bit harder. I constantly feel like I need a guide book. Gelish MINI has made it a little easier with 3 new nail art kits.

Mineral Fusion Polishes

Mineral Fusion began as a mineral cosmetics brand in 2007 and has a large range of shampoos, conditioners, body lotions, body washes and a full skin care line. But what am I excited about? Their line of nail polishes. 100% vegan, big 4 free (to include camphor) and over 60 shades are available to make sure you have a little something for everyone.

LVX Dahlia

Press Sample 
Hello LVX Dahlia. This dark vampy crimson red creme from the Fall 2013 collection was not on my favorites list by any means. Why I do like vampy colors from time to time, I feel that they can sometimes be a pain to apply.

I used a base of Cult Nails Get It On, 2 coats of polish and a top of Cult Nails Wicked Fast. 

 Sure enough, I had some application issues with this polish. You need to make sure you have thin, even coats of polish or else you see streakiness like I have above. One more coat may have evened this out or using a light "undies" coat like a white or pale pink.

This polish looked a bit better in the shade but overall I wouldn't be able to wear this out the way it is. I also should have tried using the LVX 3-1 Treatment to see if it made a difference. Let each coat dry fully so you won't have any issues with pulling.

LVX [Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram] is available on their website. It is 10-free to include Toluene and Camphor, vegan and cruelty free. Use promo code POLISHGALORE for 20% off your purchase!

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

Crabtree & Evelyn's Nail Lacquer

Last year, I wrote about Crabtree & Evelyn's hand soap (which is still, by far, the best hand soap ever) and now I have their nail polish to talk about!

Mischo Beauty Nail Polish

All images provided by Mischo Beauty

Another brand that launched in 2013 was Mischo Beauty by chemist-cosmetologist Kitiya King on November 1st. Her first collection "Fall 2013" is a homage to Fashion Week.

KBShimmer Fall 2013 Press Release

All images provided by KBShimmer

Last year, I fell off the blogging wagon. Surgeries, sickness, my mom's passing... there was a lot. But now I'm determined to make 2014 my year so to start, I'm going to work on this backlog of emails that I have and share the wealth. I'm waiting for daylight savings time to start again so I have more hours of daylight but I will work on swatches when I can.

A good place to start would be talking about the KBShimmer Fall polishes. I do have two of these in my stash that I will be able to show you.

PolishGalore is on work/play/polish!

Press Sample
Happy New Year! I'm excited for 2014 - I have some new blogging goals and fun stuff coming up this year starting with my participation in the Blogging for a Cause series over at work/play/polish.

Photo Credit: work/play/polish Instagram
(l to r: PolishGalore, Beauty Judy, Jesse from Jesse's Girl Cosmetics, work/play/polish)

You'll have to visit wpp to see the full manicure and read more about how I found out about Polished Girlz, an organization that I highly encourage you take a second look at. My goal this year is to donate quarterly, mostly monetarily, because polish is something that I love and I want to share the love back.

Hobby Polish Bloggers Winter Giveaway 2013!

Another giveaway?! You know it! This one is slightly different, one winner will get a $200 gift card to their choice of Llarowe, Ninja Polish or Harlow & Company (or the option to have a one time PayPal transfer of the money), and two more winners get the same but $100 each! Ends at midnight on 12.31.2013, CST.

The Hobby Polish Bloggers are having their second multi-blogger giveaway! To enter, please allow the Rafflecopter widget to load below. All Terms and Conditions may also be found in the widget. Please visit the following Hobby Polish Bloggers members who are bringing this to you! You may enter using Rafflecopter from any of the below blogs but your entry will only count one time. You may, however, tweet about the giveaway (the last option) once a day for the duration of the giveaway.

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Hobby Polish Bloggers
A far from perfect mom
Be Happy and Buy Polish
FashionFooting
I Feel Polished
Imperfectly Painted
Jen Likes Polish (and some other things)
KellieGonzo.com
Love. Varnish, chocolate and more...
Lucy's Stash
Lustrous Lacquer
MandysSecrets
manicure addict
Pamper with Polish
Polarbelle
polish insomniac
Polish Obsession
Polished and Glittered
PolishGalore
PolishNV
pretty tough nails
Refined & Polished
The Dalai Lama's Nails
The Mercurial Magpie
The Sparkling Hoard
TrailerHood Chic

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LVX Cliquot

Press Sample
The Winter/Resort 2014 LVX collection arrived the other day, so I'm trying to power through the Fall 2013 collection for you. Especially if you want to grab some after the holidays when you probably have a gift card or two to use. This is Cliquot, a pretty pink creme that is a pretty flattering nude with the right skin tone. I used a base of Cult Nails Get It On, two coats of polish and a top of Cult Nails Wicked Fast. No problems here with formula, pigmentation or pooling - yay!

I'm actually a big fan of this color. It's a great office nude, perfect for a glitter undie and I really think it would sparkle at a Christmas party with the right rainbow reflective small glitter. I've been thinking about my Christmas nails a lot since I have my work party on Wednesday but with my birthday on Thursday, I just don't know if I want to redo my nails for each day or what. I'll figure it out.

Back to the polish - great color staple to have. I'd buy it again without question.

LVX [Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram] is available on their website. It is 10-free to include Toluene and Camphor, vegan and cruelty free. Use promo code POLISHGALORE for 20% off your purchase!

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

LVX Azzurrum

Press Sample 

Here's another fall 2013 LVX polish for you - Azzurum, a pretty navy blue that doesn't go black. I'm not a fan of navy blue blacks because I just don't think they look as good on my skin. I used a base coat of Cult Nails Get It On, 2 coats of polish and a top of Cult Nails Wicked Fast. Once again, the formula and pigmentation were spot on and the best news ever - no staining afterwards.

See? Happy times. I did have a bit of a problem with my cuticles on my middle finger but that's because my cuticles were in terrible shape. Cold weather sucks sometimes. Otherwise, this was a great wintery polish - perfect for a holiday party and really compliments everything.

LVX [Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram] is available on their website. It is 10-free to include Toluene and Camphor, vegan and cruelty free. Use promo code POLISHGALORE for 20% off your purchase!

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

Beauty Blog Coalition Winter Giveaway 2013!

The bloggers from the Beauty Blog Coalition are at it again and want to give you the opportunity to win a little money right before the holiday season!

All terms and conditions are listed in the Rafflecopter widget below. The giveaway is open from 10 December until 21 December, internationally to all those ages 18 and up. You may tweet using the Rafflecopter option once a day until the giveaway is over for extra entries. One winner will receive a $500 prepaid Visa gift card. Two more winners will receive a $200 prepaid Visa gift card. (Both are available as a one-time PayPal transfer if the winner so chooses.)

Please take time to visit the bloggers who made this giveaway happen and good luck!

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A Little Polish
Ashley is PolishAddicted
Beauty and Fashion Tech
Beauty by Krystal
Beauty by Miss L
Beauty Info Zone
Big Time Beauty
Blushing Basics
Blushing Noir
Citizens of Beauty
Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom
Cosmetic Sanctuary
D.G.S.Beauty
daydreaming beauty
Fabulous Awesomeness
Geniabeme
Glamorable
Glamorous Mama
GlitzGlamBudget
Hairspray and Highheels
Honeygirl's World
InTruBeauty
Justina's Gems
Kat Stays Polished
KellieGonzo.com
KillerLipGloss
Lawless Lacquer
Liesl Loves Pretty Things
Lipgloss Break
Logical Harmony
Makeup by Kim Porter
Midnight Manicures
Moxie Reviews
My Highest Self
My Newest Addiction Beauty Blog
Peace Love Lipgloss
Peek & Ponder
Phyrra
Pointless Cafe
Polarbelle
PolishGalore
polish insomniac
Portrait of Mai
Pure Natural Diva Botanicals
Set in Lacquer
Smashley Sparkles
Stephanie Louise- All Things Beautiful Blog
The Crumpet
The Lacquerologist
TheFabZilla
Will Paint Nails for Food

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LVX Viridis

Press Sample
Today I have another LVX polish - Viridis from the Fall 2013 collection. LVX has done a great job at being on point with fashion and this emerald green is right on point. It was Color of the Year by Pantone after all.  I used a base of Cult Nails Get It On, 2 coats of polish and a top of Cult Nails Wicked Fast. Formula was smooth and consistent and no staining afterwards.

Tada! I found it to be more blue toned in real life - still emerald but not as dark as their website looked. I was just really glad that it didn't stain... Greens give me the worries.

LVX [Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram] is available on their website. It is 10-free to include Toluene and Camphor, vegan and cruelty free. Use promo code POLISHGALORE for 20% off your purchase!

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

LVX Cashmere

Press Sample
LVX Cashmere is a light grey creme from the Fall 2013 collection. I am still looking for my perfect grey but none seem to really hit the spot. For this manicure, I used a base coat of Cult Nails Get It On, 2 coats of polish and a top of Cult Nails Wicked Fast.

So this comes super close to being my happy grey that I want to wear all the time. I think it needs a tiny more grey in it for me but it's a great palette cleanser or office appropriate shade.

LVX [Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram] is available on their website. It is 10-free to include Toluene and Camphor, vegan and cruelty free. Use promo code POLISHGALORE for 20% off your purchase!

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

I am alive - Promise.

Image Courtesy of ellageepolish 

It's been a heck of a month. I had surgery (again) late last month and recovery hasn't been fun... or happened. I still have an open hole in my stomach because the incision just won't heal. It's kinda neat - like a black hole or something. (Serious note: The doctor knows and said it's just taking time to heal.)

I also went all over the place this month. My favorites? Watching my dear BeautyJudy get married in New Jersey.

And then the ATXNailGirls meet up in Austin, Texas (photo at the top of this post). 

Then I got strep throat. Hah.

But now I'm preparing for the holidays which of course starts Thursday with Thanksgiving. Then I have my first wedding anniversary, my 30th birthday (holy crap), Christmas and New Years!

BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, POLISHGALORE TURNS FOUR! What? Yep! I have lots of stuff to giveaway so I'm excited.  You should be too. Stay tuned!

Thanks a Latte Giveaway!

Nothing To Disclose
While I wait for the winner of the Hobby Polish Blogger to respond to her winner's email, I'd like to bring you yet another fantastic giveaway! This one is being hosted by Cosmetish but I'm super excited to be a part of it.  This giveaway is open internationally and ends on Friday 22 November 2013 at 11:59 PM.

Please wait for the Rafflecopter widget to load in full before you start filling it out. Good luck!

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