Morgan Taylor Lip Service

Press Sample 
When a reader asked to see a comparison of Morgan Taylor Ella of a Girl and Lip Service to compare pinks, I felt I should also write a review since I hadn't done it yet. Lip Service was originally a core color from Morgan Taylor but it was also included in the Breast Cancer Awareness 2014 collection called Fight Like A Lady.

I used a base coat of Duri Rejuvacote, 2 coats of polish and finished with Digital Nails Ain't Nobody Got Time For That. Formula was nice and smooth.

Here in the sun it looks pretty happy, right? Quite the Barbie pink to me but just lovely.

Here in the shade you can see it's rather cool toned - no hidden shimmers or anything inside.

Probably my favorite picture of this polish was taken in indirect sunlight. Just buttery smooth.

Finally a quick photo in my light box. A great staple to any collection. Not terribly unique but a great staple.

Did you see the swatch stick comparison of Ella Of A Girl and Lip Service?

Comparison sticks for @lovelikewhiskey of @mtmorgantaylor Ella Of A Girl vs Lip Service

A photo posted by Krystal Emery (@polishgalore) on Jan 18, 2015 at 11:41am PST

Quite a difference, huh? This is why I want to make sure I get all my swatch sticks made.

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 Ulta 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.

Morgan Taylor If The Slipper Fits

Press Sample 
The grand finale of the Cinderella Collaboration Collection from Morgan Taylor is If The Slipper Fits, a light blue polish with rainbow reflective glitter. In the bottle this stuff is pretty fantastic. On the nail however... well...

I used a base coat of piCture pOlish Revolution (a peel off base used to help in glitter removal), 3 coats of polish and finished with Digital Nails Ain't Nobody Got Time For That. The formula went ON smoothly but it was not fun to use. The glitter in this polish is quite coarse and was bumpy and lumpy in the polish. I thought maybe it was my base coat since I have only used Revolution a few times but I decided to swatch again using my normal Duri Rejuvacote and received the same reaction. Because I did use piCture pOlish Revolution, removal was easy but this will be a glitter that needs to be soaked off properly so you don't peel up the top layers of your nails. To compare, this polish reminded me of the China Glaze Crinkled Chrome polishes.

Here it is in the sun. Opaque, yes. Lumpy and bumpy? Yes. Would a thick gel like top coat smooth it out? Maybe? But I'm just not loving it.

Here in the shade, the glitter is not reflective at all and just looks awkward.

Finally in indirect light, you can see the glitter reflecting a bit but it's just not as pretty as I hoped. When I first saw the polish, I thought it reminded me of my junior year military ball dress (yes I was an Army JROTC nerd).

I had that dress custom made from a pattern back in the day. Well, 2001 but that seems like such a lifetime ago! I had a blue polish on from Maybelline I believe. Oh memories.

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 Ulta 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.

Morgan Taylor Best Ball Gown Ever

Press Sample 
Finishing up the Cinderella Collaboration Collection from Morgan Taylor and this polish was the one I was most excited for. It's call Best Ball Gown Ever and it has this beautiful almost ethereal duochrome like shimmer. It's a light blue lavender mix with a soft gold shimmer throughout. This polish is exclusive to Morgan Taylor whereas the other 5 polishes in this collection are also available in Gelish and Gelish MINI gel.

I used a base coat of Duri Rejuvacote, 3 coats of polish and finished with Digital Nails Ain't Nobody Got Time For That. I was worried this would be a super thin, non-opaque polish but I was super happy to find out that wasn't the case. It's actually quite opaque in 2 coats and I added a third just to be on the safe side.

 In the sun, you really only see the blue and with a slight shimmer. It's almost icy in color.

In the shade, the shimmer made the polish look very light and calming.

But the real beauty comes out when you're in indirect light - it's just soft and pretty and lovely.

Also in indirect light and probably my best picture of this polish. While I was the most excited about it, it's not my favorite in the end. But that's also because I'm still iffy about blue polishes on myself. I prefer my nails to be nubs for blue polishes. There were no staining issues with this polish in case anyone's wondering.

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 Ulta 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.

Morgan Taylor My Carriage Awaits

Press Sample 
Coming down the back half of the Cinderella collaboration collection from Morgan Taylor with this orange melon polish named My Carriage Awaits. Believe it or not, there is a slight peach shimmer in this polish but I could see it in the bottle only - at the right light - while standing on my right foot and hopping around while pointing to the sun. Okay, maybe not that difficult of a moment but seriously, the shimmer is pretty hidden so I'm calling this another creme.

I used a base coat of Duri Rejuvacote, 3 coats of polish and finished with Digital Nails Ain't Nobody Got Time For That. Formula was smooth and good consistency. 

Do you see the shimmer? I feel like this is more like Party at the Palace where the shimmer just aids in the polish instead of being something prominent. 

This is a pretty melon color but I don't think it flatters my skin entirely.

Here's the polish in indirect light - again, no shimmer but a very pretty creme. This is one of my least favorites but only because it doesn't really flatter me - formula rocks and it's actually a pretty unique color for me.

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 Ulta 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.

Morgan Taylor Ella Of A Girl

Press Sample 
Continuing with the Cinderella Collaboration collection is Ella of a Girl, a light pink creme that I wasn't too sure about in the bottle but just you wait!

I used a base coat of Duri Rejuvacoat, 2 coats of polish and finished with Digital Nails Ain't Nobody Got Time For That. The formula on this polish was a little thinner than the previous two but I only needed two thin coats for total coverage. I was extremely impressed with it!

I'm actually quite in love with this color! Normally I kind of shy away from pinks and go more towards corals and reds but this color is so me right now. I know I'm having a baby boy in May, but man I wish I was having a girl so I could wear this more often and play with it!  Who am I kidding, I'm going to wear it regardless!

Now I think I have to do an actual gradient with this and Watch Your Step, Sister! They just compliment each other so well! I also love that it doesn't lean to Barbie pink or Pepto Bismol pink either.

This is definitely a stand out color for me, interestingly enough. It's "simple" but beautiful and just overall lovely.

A reader asked me for a comparison of this with Morgan Taylor Lip Service which I also happen to have. A review on Lip Service will be up this week because hey, since I had it out, I might as well review it too! Lip Service is originally from the Morgan Taylor core line but it was also available in the Breast Cancer Awareness 2014 Trio called "Fight Like A Lady".

Comparison request from @lovelikewhiskey: @mtmorgantaylor Ella of a Girl on left from the @disneycinderella collection vs Lip Service (core line).

A photo posted by Krystal Emery (@polishgalore) on Jan 18, 2015 at 11:36am PST

Crazy huh? Just wait until you see the review or check my Instagram for a sneak peek of the swatch sticks. Anyway, if I had to buy just one polish from this collection, I'm saying it's going to be this one.

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 Ulta 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.

Morgan Taylor Watch Your Step, Sister!

Press Sample 
Also from the Cinderella collaboration collection from Morgan Taylor is Watch Your Step, Sister! a beautiful coral creme. I was really excited about this color because I have been on a coral kick for awhile but I always worry if they are going to give me lobster red hands or not.

For this manicure, I used a base coat of Duri Rejuvacote, 2 coats of polish and finished with Digital Nails Ain't Nobody Got Time For That top coat. I liked the formula on this and almost considered using one more thin coat for opacity but decided that 2 was enough.

Here in the sun, you can see just how pretty it is - and no lobster hands for me! My only downside is that this isn't a unique coral so it didn't make my ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE list since I do have other corals in my collection.

Likewise here in the shade, the color absolutely pops with my skin which makes me so happy. I do love it.

Even in indirect light this polish is just bam, in your face. Formula was great and I will definitely be wearing this again. In fact, I think I may even fairy dust this sometime soon! (If you don't own China Glaze Fairy Dust, I'm not sure we can be friends.)

This collaboration collection will be available next month so be watching!

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 Ulta 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.

Morgan Taylor Party At The Palace

 

Press Sample
This March Disney is taking Cinderella to the next level with their all new, live action adaptation of Cinderella. Morgan Taylor (and its parent gel company Gelish) is releasing a joint nail color collaboration launching in February. Today I have Party At The Palace, a light turquoise blue with golden shimmer.

I used a base coat of Seche Natural, 3 thin coats of polish and finished with Digital Nails Ain't Nobody Got Time For That top coat. The formula was good and I could have probably gotten away with only 2 coats but I decided to add a third to make sure I had total opacity on all nails.

When I wore this polish, the sun decided to run away for the day so I had to use my Mystudio light kit instead. As you can see the shimmer isn't nearly as pronounced but does give the polish a light glow about it.

Outside in the shade it basically the same story - a very ethereal look with the blue base.

Indirect light gives you a tiny glimpse of that shimmer but I don't think this polish was decided to be a pronounced shimmer polish, rather the golden shimmer enhances the base color. Almost reminds me of the "mermaid" fabric that was popular in the early 2000s (think prom dress overlays). Quite lovely a great add to my collection.

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 Ulta 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.

Liquid Palisade by Kiesque

Press Sample 
Full disclosure - I am not the person to come to for nail art. I have very little patience, I have very little creativity. Anything I can use to make it easier, I am ALL for. That being said, when I first heard about Liquid Palisade by Kiesque back in 2013, I wanted to get some pretty badly. 

Think of it as painter's tape for nails. You brush on the purple liquid where you don't want polish, polish your nails, then remove the now dried protective barrier. Sounds great for gradients and water marbles, right?! However, as always, people smarter than I have even used it IN their nail art, painting designs on the nails with the Liquid Palisade, and painting, then removing the design. Think nail vinyls before we had nail vinyls.

Thankfully, this product is super easy to use - really doesn't take much effort or thought. I'm wearing Morgan Taylor Party At The Palace from the upcoming Cinderella collaboration collection and thought that I'd sponge over Morgan Taylor Watch Your Step, Sister! Now this is maybe the third gradient I've ever done so I'm still learning what colors go well together, how far up to sponge your gradient blah blah blah. My color theory isn't quite there yet - sorry art majors!

Krystal's mistake #1, not getting the Liquid Palisade isn't close enough to the cuticle. This winter I finally put together my new computer desk and monitor stand and then I had to replace my lamp. The lamp I replaced it with, is terrible. I simply do not have enough lighting anymore - and with a gloomy day outside, I don't have my natural light streaming in. I needed to get the Liquid Palisade a little closer to ensure that no polish was on the cuticles. As you can see, it paints on in a light purple and turns a darker purple (on the edges) as it dries. You should let it dry for about 30 seconds before starting your gradient or other nail art so that you don't get paint in your Liquid Palisade.

Now go crazy! I sponged my colors a total of three times and as you can see I got a little messy - should have probably added a bit more Liquid Palisade or been more careful around the edges.

Then just grab a corner of the dried purple Liquid Palisade using tweezers and peel cleanly off!

Enjoy your nail art!

So the bottle looks a little big, right? It's a 10 g/0.35 oz bottle of Liquid Palisade. To compare, Morgan Taylor has 0.50 fl oz in its bottle.

Basically it's tall but much skinnier. Think more of a striping brush. However, Kiesque says that you can get 50 manicures out of this one bottle. I'm not sure how they are measuring a manicure, but considering it's a little more than half of the Morgan Taylor bottle and I have never emptied a bottle of polish in my life from use, I'd say you have some wear time with this product.

The brush itself is quite thin, which is great for getting precise lines but less fun if you want to cover an entire area (like your entire first knuckle if you're doing a water marble. It is flexible enough to get into that little space between your nail and your cuticle but not so flexible that you're all over the place.

Additionally, the product is a bit stinky, being latex based. Make sure you use in a well ventilated area. Keep away from eyes and DO NOT USE if you have a latex allergy.

Now, I am fully aware that other bloggers have used Elmer's Glue, Liquid Latex (available online or at party supply stores) and even Sally's Hair Glue in place of Liquid Palisade. Indies are even getting into the mix like ellagee who is using a re-packaged material but in a familiar nail polish bottle and with a larger brush. Unfortunately, I have not tried any of them, so I can't confirm or deny any of the claims that they work just as well.

You can purchase Liquid Palisade directly from Kiesque on their website here for $22.00. It is also available on Gloss48 as well as a few international stockists too. Please see the Kiesque website for more. Join in the conversation with Liquid Palisade on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+.

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

butter LONDON Glitter Scrubbers Textured Remover Wipes

I love glitter. I love textured polish. I hate removing both.

Chaos & Crocodiles Nail Art with Subterfuge & Sleeper Cell

Nothing To Disclose
I got to meet the sweetheart behind the indie brand Chaos & Crocodiles last summer in Vegas, and slightly before I went, I was lucky enough to get my hands on a pre-order of the Secret Agent Collection, a set of 10 holographic polishes that came in a gold-foiled cardboard box with a foam insert. Frankly, it was fantastic. 

In October, with my alma mater's Homecoming fast approaching, I decided to pull out Subterfuge (gold) and Sleeper Cell (blue) in a great homage to my school's colors. Now, since I'm not the best at nail art, I knew it had to be simple and what looks amazing but is simple? NAIL VINYLS!

I had received a bunch of nail vinyls from KBShimmer, so I chose a scalloped lines design and decided to just go crazy on my accent nail. Now because I was in a huge rush, I decided to top my nails with a gel top coat (cured in a LED lamp) which caused a little wrinkling but nothing terrible.

For Subterfuge and Sleeper Cell, I used 2 coats of polish for both.

HELLO HOLO. I was a huge fan of this manicure and ended up wearing it for days.

In the shade, the holo disappeared but at least you can see the scalloped design better (and the wrinkling).

Either way, I was a happy camper and will definitely be repeating this combination for Homecoming 2015. It helps that I live in the same town that I went to college in, hah!

Chaos & Crocodiles can be purchased on her website. Prices range from $10 to $12.50. You can like her on Facebook, follow on Twitter and follow on Instagram as well.

China Glaze Mind The Gap

Nothing To Disclose
From the Fall 2014 China Glaze collection "All Aboard", was Mind The Gap, a unique olive with green shimmer inside. It reminded me a lot of China Glaze Out on Safari so I had to pull a swatch comparison with my sticks.

Ooooh very close but not the same! @chinaglazeofficial Out On Safari vs Mind The Gap. MTG is from the upcoming Fall 2014 collection.

A photo posted by Krystal Emery (@polishgalore) on Jul 7, 2014 at 7:02pm PDT

For this manicure, I used a base coat of Cult Nails Get It On, 2 coats of polish and finished with Digital Nails Ain't Nobody Got Time For That. Formula was a little thin but mostly opaque in 2 coats. 

The green shimmer isn't as prominent in the sun as I had hoped and I'm not a huge fan of the brown on my nails but it's still a pretty unique color.

But then you get in the shade and I'm a big fan! The green shimmer takes on a bit of a life of its own and starts to really push through the brown, giving a glowing look. I was much happier with this in the shade!

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.

ellagee Mistress Of All Evil

Press Sample 
The final polish I had swatched was also from the Maleficent Duo called Mistress Of All Evil. This is a clear glitter with a mix of black, purple and hot pink holo glitter. I used 2 coats of dabbled polish over Now Shall You Deal With ME!

You can see how there is a good mix of the colors in the pink and purple glitters. The black seems a little out of place but it still works.

Especially in the shade, the glitters stick out individually. I was a little surprised at the coverage in 2 coats but you can always use the dab technique where you dab the glitter onto a makeup sponge to absorb the clear base and then dab the sponge onto your nail.

You can still purchase this Duo from Gloss48.

You can purchase ellagee through her website. Prices range from $8 to $15.00. Join the conversation with her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Tumblr.

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