Day 16 of 31 Day Challenge: Dollish Polish "Hip Hop Hippity Hop"

I apologize in advance for my falling behind on this 31 Day Challenge. I'm back to school as of Monday, so I haven't had the time to swatch every day. I hope you'll forgive my attempt to at least do 1+ indies every couple of days as opposed to once a day. I do admit that this works out for me because most of the time, I love the indie I swatched that it makes me sad to remove it for the next swatch. Anyway... today I have an awesome polish, perfect for spring. I know. It's still winter here in the US, but who says you can't look forward to the next season, right?

Hip Hop Hippity Hop by Dollish Polish

Hip Hop Hippity Hop is the perfect combination of spring colors wrapped in a pink toned, lavender base. It's loaded with small green, light blue, and pink glitters throughout as shown below:

Here are a couple of close up shots:

I used:

Sephora by OPI Base Coat

2 coats Dollish Polish Hip Hop Hippity Hop

Essie Good to Go Top Coat

You can purchase Hip Hop Hippity Hop along with other awesome Dollish Polish creations at the Dollish Polish shop. Check out the Dollish Polish Facebook page for restock announcements and previews of up and coming polishes/collections.

NOTE: The polishes discussed in this post were purchased by me. All thoughts and opinions are that of my own.

Day 14 of 31 Day Challenge: Frankenstine Polish "Welcome to Bon Temps"

As I have previously reviewed, I have another True Blood themed polish by the lovely Christine of Frankenstine Polish:

Welcome to Bon Temps by Frankenstine Polish

Welcome to Bon Temps, named for the city in which True Blood takes place is a pretty, pretty red jelly polish with various types and sizes of red glitter throughout. This would be great to top over a red creme, and it's buildable on its own. I swatched both alone and over a red polish below:

I used:

Sephora by OPI Base Coat

3 coats Frankenstine Polish Welcome to Bon Temps (index/pinky)

2 coats OPI Color So Hot It Berns/2 coats Frankenstine Polish Welcome to Bon Temps (middle)

Essie Good to Go Top Coat

Accent nail:

Sephora by OPI Base Coat

China Glaze: Pelican Gray

OPI: Color So Hot It Berns

Essie Good to Go Top coat

There was a difference in results between the 2. I did notice slight curling of a couple of hexes when I used this polish over the red base, but when used alone, this wasn't an issue. As always, the glitter curling can typically be resolved with a good top coat. Here are a couple of comparison shots of Welcome to Bon Temps alone (3 coats) and over Color So Hot It Berns (2 coats/2 coats):

In the following swatch, you can better see the jelly consistency compared to over the red base:

This close up is a better view of the holo nature of some of the red bars present in this red jelly:

Welcome to Bon Temps and other Frankenstine Polishes can be purchased through Christine directly by emailing her at FrankenstinePolishes@earthlink.net. Just shoot her an email, and she'll set you up with an invoice! Check out the Frankenstine Polish Facebook page and follow Christine on Instagram for updates, previews, and other swatches of other polishes from her line.

NOTE: This polish was sent to me for review. All thoughts and opinions are that of my own.

Day 13 of 31 Day Challenge: PolishTBH "Midnight"

Another late post but still in time! The last two weeks have been difficult to keep up with! I've been trying to make each day dedicated to a polish from different indies, and today it comes from PolishTBH:

Midnight by PolishTBH

Midnight is a dark blue jelly containing blue holo and aqua hexes and silver micro glitter throughout. There was a lot of "fishing" involved with the larger hexes, and the glitters did settle prior to use. It is greatly advised that you shake the bottle thoroughly prior to use:

As described, I did use a black base in the previous swatch. To compare the black base to the polish alone, here's another swatch:

I used:

Sephora by OPI Base Coat

2 coats OPI Black Onyx (index/middle)

2 coats PolishTBH Midnight (index/middle)

3 coats PolishTBH Midnight alone (ring/pinky)

Essie Good to Go Top Coat

Here's a close up shot of Midnight over Black Onyx

You can purchase Midnight at the PolishTBH Etsy shop. Check out the PolishTBH Facebook page and follow them on Instagram for updates and swatches!

NOTE: The polishes discussed in this post were purchased by me. All thoughts and opinions are that of my own.

Day 12 of 31 Day Challenge: Frankenstine Polish "Shift Change at Merlotte's

So depending on how you look at it, this post is either really late or really early. Either way, I just decided to call this Day 12. I had this idea since I received this polish from Christine, and I finally had a chance to try it using:

Shift Change at Merlotte's by Frankenstine Polish

Christine did it again with this True Blood inspired glitter topper. Shift Change at Merlotte's, inspired by the restaurant uniforms that Sookie wore in the ever so popular TV series, contains a combination of green and white micro glitters, white hexes, and mini holo green bar glitters! When deciding what base colors to use this over, I figured what better way to let these colors stand out than dark shades; thus:

I used:

Sephora by OPI Base Coat

2 coats OPI Black Onyx (index/pinky) - BO

2 coats theBalm/Hot Ticket The Grass Is(n't) Always Greener (middle) - GIAG

2 coats Frankenstine Polish Shift Change at Merlotte's 

Essie Good to Go Top Coat

While I was photographing different aspects of this polish, I thought I'd try out some close ups:

                   Over Black Onyx              Over The Grass Is(n't Always Greener)

Here's a comparison of Shift Change at Merlotte's over the 2 colors 

(L: GIAG, R: BO)

Like the other Frankensine Polishes that I have, this one did not disappoint. One coat of this glitter topper was enough to cover the whole nail, but I added an additional coat for evenness. I didn't experience curling with the large, white hexes like I would typically expect with larger glitters so that's definitely a plus. 

You can purchase this polish from Christine directly. Just email her at frankenstinepolishes@earthlink.net, and she'll set you up with an invoice. Check out the Frankenstine Polish Facebook page and follow Christine on Instagram for other swatches of this polish and others that this line has to offer.

NOTE: This polish was sent to me for review. All thoughts and opinions are that of my own.

Day 10 of 31 Day Challenge: Happy Hands Nail Polish "Afternoon Thunderstorms"

Today I have here another yet amazing jelly/glitter polish:

Afternoon Thunderstorms by Happy Hands Nail Polish

Afternoon Thunderstorms is a gray jelly with a subtle, gold shimmer that contains 2 sizes of black hexes. For a jelly polish, this was pretty opaque. There was no VNL after 2 coats, but I used 3 coats in the following swatches with no base color:

The following swatch helps to illustrate the subtle, gold shimmer present throughout this polish:

I used:

Sephora by OPI Base Coat

3 coats Happy Hands Afternoon Thunderstorms

Essie Good to Go Top Coat

I absolutely love this polish. The glitter spread amazingly with no effort or glitter placement needed whatsoever. You can find Afternoon Thunderstorms at the Happy Hands Etsy shop and Harlow & Co. See the Happy Hands Facebook page and Instagram for updates on restocks and other swatches of upcoming polishes.

NOTE: The polishes discussed in this post were purchased by me. All thoughts and opinions are that of my own.

Day 9 of 31 Day Challenge: Different Dimension "Aria"

In honor of the return of Pretty Little Liars last night, I thought this was a great time to try this polish!

 

Aria by Different Dimension

Aria is a polish that shifts to purple when used over various bases. This was my first color shifting polish, and I was very impressed by the results. The base I decided to use was Sephora by OPI Countdown to the Kiss shown below to illustrated the color shift:

The following swatch shows the color shift from the initial blue base to the purple. To be festive, I added an "A" on the accent nail using striping tape for those ladies who watch the show:

I used:

Sephora by OPI Base Coat

2 coats Sephora by OPI Countdown to the Kiss

2 coats Different Dimension Aria

Essie Good to Go Top Coat

Overall, I was very impressed by the results of this polish. You can purchase Aria from the Different Dimension Etsy shop. See the Different Dimension Facebook page and Instagram for updates and previews of upcoming polishes.

NOTE: The polishes discussed in this post were purchased by me. All thoughts and opinions are that of my own.

Day 8 of 31 Day Challenge: The Hungry Asian "Twenty Eleven"

So sorry about missing Day 7! I was working out some school issues yesterday, and I didn't have time to get this post out. Anyway, I thought I'd just move on to Day 8 with another great indie:

 

Twenty Eleven by The Hungry Asian

Twenty Eleven is a BEAUTIFUL purple jelly polish with red hexes of various sizes scattered throughout. This is a jelly polish so there is visible nail line (VNL), but it is buildable with additional coats. The formula was amazing. The glitters in this polish were not difficult to work with, and they spread well between coats. My preference is no VNL so I layered this polish over a creme (Sally Hansen Deep Purple):

 

I used:

Sephora by OPI Base Coat

2 coats Sally Hansen Deep Purple

2 coats The Hungry Asian Twenty Eleven

Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat

You can find Twenty Eleven along with many others of Kae's amazing polishes at her Etsy shop. Check out her Facebook page for updates on restocks and previews of upcoming releases. 

NOTE: The polishes discussed in this post were purchased by me. All thoughts and opinions are that of my own.

Day 6 of 31 Day Challenge: Whimsical Ideas by Pam "Sweet Baby James"

I had seen several swatches of this polish that ended up making me want to purchase it:

Sweet Baby James by Whimsical Ideas by Pam

Sweet Baby James contains pink squares, white and pastel periwinkle hexes in a sheer baby blue base. Since I didn't want to use up too much of this polish by layering and hoping for opacity, I decided to layer this over Sephora by OPI Cartwheels on the Catwalk. I think these 2 pair pretty well as you can see below. Application was fine: glitters spread fairly evenly, and I did not experience curling with the larger pink squares.

I used:

Sephora by OPI Base Coat

2 coats Sephora by OPI Cartwheels on the Catwalk

2 coats Whimsical Ideas by Pam Sweet Baby James

Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

If you're interested in purchasing this or any of Pam's polishes, you can email her at pea422000@yahoo.com and let her know which polishes you'd like and she'll send you an invoice. Check out Pam's Facebook page for more details.

NOTE: The polishes discussed in this post were purchased by me. All thoughts and opinions are that of my own.

Day 5 of 31 Day Challenge: Voodoo Lacquer "Mulberry Spice" XOXO Nails "Spring Fling"

I hope you all have been having a great weekend so far. Here I present you with the following indie combination:

Mulberry Spice by Voodoo Lacquer and Spring Fling by XOXO Nails

Mulberry Spice is a described as being between a "cardinal and chestnut red." I would probably describe is as more of a burgundy/maroon-ish color. No matter how you describe it, it's very pretty on the nails. It also contains small silver holographic glitters which gives it that subtle shimmer that always gives a polish that little extra something. It was also opaque after 2 coats:

Spring Fling is a glitter topper containing very pretty pastel glitters in pink, yellow, and green. I'm a sucker for pastel glitters, especially because pastel colored cremes don't really cooperate with my skin tone. Pastel glitters was my compromise. As much as I liked the combination of Spring Fling with Mulberry Spice, this glitter topper was somewhat difficult to work with. In order for me to get a sufficient amount of glitter onto the brush, I needed to tilt the bottle a bit and swish the brush around. That aside, application was fine for the most part, and a thick coat of a good top coat helps to prevent the resulting bumpiness associated with glitter toppers. The following swatch shows Spring Fling over Mulberry Spice:

I used:

Sephora by OPI Base Coat

2 coats Voodoo Lacquer Mulberry Spice

2 coats XOXO Nails Spring Fling

Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

Mulberry Spice is currently in stock at the Voodoo Lacquer Etsy shop, and you can purchase XOXO Nails polishes at Electra's Etsy shop. Spring Fling is not currently in stock, but check out the XOXO Nails Facebook page to stay up to date on restocks and new collections. You can also access the Voodoo lacquer Facebook page for updates, new collections, coupon codes and specials.

NOTE: The polishes discussed in this post were purchased by me. All thoughts and opinions are that of my own.

Day 4 of 31 Day Challenge: Hit Polish "Lily Pad"

Today, I give you a glitter topper from one of my first indie brands: Hit Polish (previously D & R Apothecary):

Lily Pad by Hit Polish

Lily Pad is a glitter topper polish containing a variety of colors intended to mimic that of its name: lily pads. This polish contains ultra fine royal blue glitters, navy blue hexes, small and larger matte white hexes, pastel green hexes, and medium, holographic green glitters. This polish had everything I expected from a good glitter topper.  The glitters spread evenly with little fishing needed for the larger hex glitters. Also, I did not experience the curling that I would normally expect from the larger hexes. It dried somewhat bumpy due to the glitters, but this was easily smoothed out with a thick coat of Seche Vite top coat. 

I used:

Julep Base Coat

2 coats OPI Fly

1 coat Hit Polish Lily Pad

1 coat Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

You can purchase Lily Pad for a limited time at the Hit Polish Etsy shop. Also, you should definitely check out the Hit Polish Facebook page for discount codes and specials! Rachel loves sales and she usually announces them on the Hit Polish Facebook page so definitely check it out before making a purchase. Until tomorrow...

NOTE: The polishes discussed in this post were purchased by me. All thoughts and opinions are that of my own.

Day 3 of 31 Day Challenge: KB Shimmer "Jack" Girly Bits "Howl at the Moon"

Thursday.. the third day (any FRIENDS lovers out there?). Today I decided to "hit 2 birds with one stone" by using these 2 indies:

Jack by KB Shimmer and Howl at the Moon by Girly Bits

Let's start off with Jack. Jack can be described as a black jelly polish containing orange hex glitters in several sizes and micro orange bars. Whenever I have a black jelly, I tend to use it over a black creme base so as to preserve the polish by using fewer coats. I decided to use Jack over China Glaze Smoke & Ashes:

Howl at the Moon is similar to Jack in that the glitters are in a black jelly base, but instead of orange hexes and bars of various sizes, it contains gold hex glitters in various sizes. In a way, this polish's color combination reminds me a little of Deborah Lippmann's Cleopatra in New York. As with Jack, I used Smoke & Ashes as a base:

After using these polishes, I'm very glad I decided to purchase them. Application was flawless, and the glitters spread evenly quite easily. The following swatch shows both polishes over a Smoke & Ashes base:

I used:

Essie Grow Stronger

2 coats China Glaze Smoke & Ashes

2 coats KB Shimmer Jack

2 coats Girly Bits Howl at the Moon (accent nail)

1 coat Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

Jack can be purchased at the KB Shimmer website, Etsy shop, and from Harlow & Co. You can find Howl at the Moon at the Girly Bits Big Cartel shop (which should be back up tomorrow), MeiMeiSignature.com, and Llarowe. 

NOTE: The polishes discussed in this post were purchased by me. All thoughts and opinions are that of my own.

Day 2 of 31 Day Challenge: Rainbow Polish "Taffy"

It's day 2, and I thought I'd try out a glitter/jelly sandwich using an indie glitter topper that I was really excited to buy:

Taffy by Rainbow Polish

This glitter sandwich is what I was most excited about trying. I had been looking out for this polish since I first learned about this indie brand. Taffy is a pastel glitter topper containing a mixture of light blues, aquas, pink, lime green and white hexes and squares. Application was not as great as I would have hoped for a glitter topper seeing as it was difficult for me to get glitter on the brush. I needed to shake the bottle between application, and I still needed to somewhat "fish" for some of the larger pieces of glitter. Application aside, the result was amazing, especially in combination with Nfu-Oh JS-29 as shown below:

I used:

Julep Basecoat

1 coat Nfu-Oh JS-29

1 coat Rainbow Polish Taffy

1 coat Nfu-Oh JS-29

1 coat Rainbow Polish Taffy

1 coat Nfu-Oh JS-29

1 coat Rainbow Polish Taffy

You can purchase Taffy at MeiMeiSignatures.com or the Rainbow Polish Etsy or Big Cartel shop. Be sure to check out the Rainbow Polish Facebook page for updates on restocks and previews of upcoming polishes and specials.

NOTE: The polishes discussed in this post were purchased by me. All thoughts and opinions are that of my own.

Day 1 of 31 Day Challenge: HARE Polish "Dog Day Dream"

So here it is: the first of hopefully many swatches to come this month.

Dog Day Dream by HARE Polish.

Dog Day Dream is a gorgeous red/deep pink/berry colored jelly filled with square and hex glitter in purple, pink and orange. I originally purchased this beauty quite some time ago, and now I'm not sure as to why I waited this long to use it! I decided to pair this with OPI The One That Got Away, which, like DDD, is a gorgeous (and I mean GORGEOUS) berry color, but that's a whole other story. Application was great, and there was no difficulty in the glitter spreading evenly.

I used:
Essie Grow Stronger
2 coats of OPI The One That Got Away 
2 coats of HARE Polish Dog Day Dream
Seche Vite Quick Dry Topcoat

I purchased this from the HARE polish Etsy shop, but you can currently purchase this at Llarowe. Check out their Facebook page for updates on restocks, etc.

NOTE: The polishes discussed in this post were purchased by me. All thoughts and opinions are that of my own.

31 Day Untried Indie Challenge

After somewhat organizing all of my polishes, I now know of the quantity of polishes that I've purchased and not used. In an attempt to resolve this, I thought I'd join in something that a couple of other IG girls were planning to do to start off 2013: a 31 day challenge, involving indie polishes. Throughout the month of January, my goal is to use at least 1 untried indie polish each day so that by the end of the month, I would have used at least 31 of the indie polishes in my "untried" stack. What better way to kick off this blog than with a challenge, right?

Hopefully this goes well.