Sweet Polish Sweetheart Swatch and Review

It's Friday morning and I am here! Eeeeeek, it's early for me. But I am rounding up the energy to post my last of the two Sweet Polishes I received from Amanda of Sweetheart Nail Art. You can check out her (really freaking nicely designed) blog here, and check out her newly launched Etsy shop here. As I mentioned in my Birthday Bash post yesterday, Sweet Polish is based here in Canada, over on the East Coast from me so add this one to the Canadian indies!



Here's a copypasta from Sweet Polish Sweetheart's listing on Etsy:

"Sweetheart" is the very first Sweet Polish to be created. It was made for the 3 year anniversary of Sweetheart Nail Art and it's a white jelly polish with small pastel glitters, black glitters, black shards, and light pink hearts.

This polish reaches full opacity and it's full potential when layered over a white base color. Since it is a jelly polish it would require many coats to be able to be worn alone.

Our Sweet Polishes are 3-free and cruelty free. We make sure our suppliers only sell the best products and we only use materials the are safe and well-tested. Many different suspension bases and color bases and glitters go into our product so if you would like a full list of ingredients send a convo msg and we will list them all for you,

PROUDLY MADE IN CANADA

I agree with the description, which is why I opted to layer Sweet Polish Sweetheart over top of OPI White Alpine. Normally I like to do this with polishes that have a white jelly base. It's always better to focus on the glitter application rather than opacity. Application wise, this one was good. No dragging glitter, an even spread - can't really complain! Now I read in the description there's supposed to be some heart shaped glitter but I don't recall seeing any in my bottle, however it's a mini, and even with bigger brands such as OPI, bigger shape glitter won't end up getting into the minis. No big deal, I actually liked it as is! Here's Sweet Polish Sweetheart in two coats, over top of OPI White Alpine, finished with Seche Vite:









And for funsies, here's the swatch above with GOSH's "Matt Effect" top coat:





I gotta say that I really loved this one. I thought the mix was so fun - reminded of candy, the 80s - all things awesome! Out of the two Sweet Polishes I have, I definitely favour this one for it's funk, and Birthday Bash is better for a more subtle look. The prices are very fair as well. One thing I noticed about Sweet Polish is that it's actually quite hard to find! It doesn't turn up in Google searches, so if you want to support Amanda, spread the word.

What's your favourite Sweet Polish? Do you think Sweetheart could have been more with the heart glitter, or does it look fine without?

Full disclosure: This sample was provided for an unbiased review.

Sweet Polish Birthday Bash Swatch and Review

So I am sitting here a little frantic - it always makes me a little nervous when it comes to trying to book a gig, but there's nothing I can do but wait it out and hey, post some nailz! So here I am, posting some nails. Today I've got a very special polish to show off from Amanda of Sweetheart Nail Art - she just recently launched her own indie polish appropriately named Sweet Polish and you can browse and shop over at Etsy. Oh! Another awesome thing is Amanda is just on the other side of Canada from me - so this is actually my first Canadian indie polish!



Here's the copypasta from the Sweet Polish Birthday Bash description on Etsy:

"Birthday Bash" is the second Sweet Polish to be created. It was made for the 3 year anniversary of Sweetheart Nail Art and it's a black jelly polish with pink, blue, yellow, orange, green, and purple micro bar glitters.

This polish reaches full opacity and it's full potential when layered over a black base color. Since it is a jelly polish it would require many coats to be able to be worn alone. (The bar glitters are matte and since the polish is a jelly its not thick enough to gloss over the matte glitters so you would need a thicker topcoat to seal them in and give a glossy shine)

Our Sweet Polishes are 3-free and cruelty free. We make sure our suppliers only sell the best products and we only use materials the are safe and well-tested. Many different suspension bases and color bases and glitters go into our product so if you would like a full list of ingredients send a convo msg and we will list them all for you.

PROUDLY MADE IN CANADA

I would say that's pretty accurate and before the bar glitter hate train waltz in, honestly as a fellow bar glitter hater myself, this wasn't that bad! I think it's due to the finer nature of micro bar glitter and the colour mix was just awesome. Formula and application were OK - the formula is very dense with the bar glitters so it may appear to be very thick, but it's just holding a massive amount of bar glitters. It goes on very smooth, with a lot of glitter, so you actually only need one coat, if you are starting with a base colour. I used OPI Black Onyx to start. As the description reads, a thicker top coat is needed to achieve a smooth glossy look. I recently burned through a bottle of Seche Vite and had to open a new one. I really could have benefited using two coats of Seche Vite because it was brand new and tends to be a bit thinner. Alas, here's my swatch of Sweet Polish Birthday Bash - one coat over OPI Black Onyx, finished with a thin layer of brand new Seche Vite:









For funsies, I wanted to see how Sweet Polish Birthday Bash would look with a matte top coat. I used GOSH "Matt Effect" top coat:





Overall, Sweet Polish Birthday Bash is a pretty fun mix and even for the bar glitter haters, it's subtle enough to just let the colours play as opposed to being a huge mess. Also the packaging is freaking adorable and very streamlined for a first run! I've got to give a fine salute to that! If you're looking to support Canadian indie polish, check out Amanda's shop and website.

What do you think of Sweet Polish Birthday Bash? Does it make an exception to the usual bar glitter hate train? What other Canadian indie polishes are you into?

Full disclosure: This sample was provided for an unbiased review.

Rainbow Honey Mint Flavor Swatch and Review (Bonus: Rainbow Honey I Miss You, Rainbow Honey Costa Del Sol)

So I started using these... (don't laugh)... multi-vitamin gummies. They seem kind of hoaky. It would be nice if they were actually supplying me vitamins. And before you guys get all "well just take normal ones, sugar is bad for you" - I know, but I have a sweet tooth anyway. The dose is two gummies and I don't see any harm in that. Alas. Candy! Anyway, today I've got another polish from Rainbow Honey's Summer of 199X collection. If you haven't grabbed the collection yet, I highly recommend to do it up and head over to their shop. Also, this month's limited edition is Heisenberg and if it wasn't obvious how much I love Rainbow Honey, it should be obvious now because Breaking Bad is one of my most favourite shows ever!

So back to Rainbow Honey Mint Flavor - here's a copypasta from Rainbow Honey's shop: Part aqua, part baby blue, part shimmer, this was hands down the best window flavor. Because...you taste windows, right? That's about accurate. It's totally the aqua colour that reminds me of Windows 3.1 - when you could pick the colour of your desk from the 12 or so colours you could choose from. However, in Earthbound that colour is called Mint Flavor when you want to customize the colour of your dialogue boxes. Application and formula were good - two coats were needed to go to full opacity, and the formula went on smooth with the right amount of viscosity. Here's my swatch in two coats without top coat:







Rainbow Honey Mint Flavor in vanilla mode isn't that much. I wouldn't say it's the most unique polish I've ever seen but I still like it. To spice things up, I added Rainbow Honey I Miss You, which is also from The Summer of 199X collection. Here's one coat of it:







And because I like mixing things up a bit, here's another polish from Rainbow Honey's other summer collection from FAB. Here's one coat of Costa Del Sol over top with some Seche Vite:









And because I know some of you know all about my lusting for OPI Matte Top Coat over top of Costa Del Sol. Here it is matted:







And LOL hand pose:



Anyway I totally didn't expect to post this many photos for a single polish so I hope that's OK! Have you ever tried those gummy vitamins? Am I 5? Anyway, what do you think of Mint Flavor - are you into indie polish companies pumping out some basics for a full indie experience?

Revlon Top Speed 553 Decadent Swatch and Review

I am back from my long weekend in Canadaland! I seem to always come back on Cheap Polish Tuesday but have no fear, I think I've got some posts and cool polishes to share later this week. I hope anyway. I'm done my major shooting dates until my huge convention at the end of the month. Anyway today I've got a polish from Revlon's Top Speed line. I believe it's from the "Spice It Up" collection - I got this one on sale at London Drugs for maybe $2? I can't remember as it was probably in 2011 when I picked it up.

Revlon Decadent is a vibrant violet with subtle micro blue shimmer. I am normally not a fan of Revlon's formula, but this one went on very smoothly without any problems. It's very pigmented and opaque so only two coats were required for full coverage. Here's my swatch in two coats:









And for funsies, here's a highlight nail with Rainbow Honey My Love. Now I can see that Revlon Decadent would be a great base colour for My Love! All the shimmer really stands out and of course there's enough contrast for the pink and blue hearts to stand out and shine!:





Anyway I guess it's time to crank Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines and burn off my inbox! Damn it's full today. I hope you guys enjoyed your long weekend (if you had one mwahaha), and I'll catch up with all your awesome posts later! What do you think of Revlon polishes? Is it just me, or is their Top Speed line a little bit better than their regular line?

Rainbow Honey The Kraken Swatch and Review (Bonus: Rainbow Honey Summer Juice Scented Top Coat)

Alright guys, so because I won't be back until next Tuesday as it's a holiday here in BC (and I think most of Canada), I've gotta end this week with a bang. I've actually been excited to share it all week so I am relieved I can finally reveal it. I've got Rainbow Honey The Kraken, from The Summer of 199X collection. You can currently buy this one at Rainbow Honey's online shop individually, in The Summer of 199X: Part 1 set (full or mini size), and of course, if you're crazy like me - the full Summer of 199X set.

Where do I begin? Rainbow Honey The Kraken was named after the Kraken in Earthbound, which is one of the bosses you encounter. Here's the copypasta of the description on Rainbow Honey's website: The Kraken is a marine jelly with a blue and green glow filled with glitters, shimmer, and the sea monster’s own holographic Crashing Boom Bang! I would say that's actually about right. Application and formula were great. It's a glitterbomb, so sometimes these have a tendency to clump, but not this one. It was also surprisingly opaque. You can wear it alone, or over top another colour in one coat. I love that it spreads even enough to give that versatility. It finishes surprisingly smooth and slick as well. I'm gushing, I'm sorry. Here's my swatch of Rainbow Honey The Kraken in two coats without top coat:







The first time I used The Kraken, I actually wore it over OPI Black Onyx. I know some people have said they found it too dark, but as a lover of dark colours - I do love the contrast I get, and you don't necessarily lose the green glitter glows through the marine shimmer foundation. I actually think it looks quite lovely over black and it was a huge hit with the bridesmaids at the wedding I shot last weekend!:









Also LOL at me trying to experiment with a different hand pose. I just wish I could move my hand better!


As I mentioned before, The Kraken dries fairly smoothly considering it's a glitter party but it does have a bit of texture - it's just something you can't avoid sometimes. I tried using Rainbow Honey Summer Juice Scented Top Coat, which came with my Summer Juice Set from FAB (I got my US friend to ship it to me because FAB charges $40 for shipping to Canada for whatever ridiculous reasons). I didn't get to test the durability of the top coat as I only wore this for a day, but man, if you love the smell of the Summer Juice Cuticle Stick, you'll love the Summer Juice Scented Top Coat. Mmmmm smells quite nice. It doesn't quite have the same thickness that my Seche Vite has but it does provide a decent enough shine and a lovely scent to boot! I wouldn't use it over say, an OPI Liquid Sand or Zoya Pixiedust, as it won't be thick enough to rid the texture. Here's Rainbow Honey Summer Juice Scented Top Coat over top of Rainbow Honey The Kraken:









Rainbow Honey The Kraken definitely made my top polishes in The Summer of 199X's collection and I'd even go as far to say it's a "must have". What do you think are The Summer of 199X's "must haves"? Is The Kraken what you'd thought it would be? For now, I've got another Rainbow Honey polish on for yet another wedding I'm shooting this weekend (eerrryday I'm hustlin') so I hope you guys all enjoy the weekend, whether it be long or normal!

OPI Black Onyx Swatch and Review

Welcome to Thursday, which is normally the last post of the week but since I wasn't around for Shitty Nail Art Monday, I'll be around tomorrow. This post is a little bit boring but I realized I haven't highlighted this basic yet. Here's OPI Black Onyx, which I use for almost anything and everything: base colours, alone, in skittles, nail art - this one is good to go.

OPI Black Onyx is a black creme. Application and formula is smooth and slick, and you get opaque coverage after two coats. It is not so thick that it needs any sort of "self-leveling" properties. I think it's the perfect viscosity for a black creme, but I would honestly expect it as I would be paying the OPI premium to have it. Here's my swatch in two coats, sans top coat:









Really easy black creme, and I honestly would expect this kind of performance with the OPI brand name. It may seem like a waste to get a basic colour with a "brand name" but this has really kept up. I bought this in 2010 and it's still as good as new.

Do you have a basic black creme? It is a must have for the polish to be a one coater, or will two do just fine? Let me know your favourite brand for basics! I'll see y'all tomorrow.