baroque pattern (sorta!)

this is definitely something i would've worn during the actual holidays, because the berry color is so Christmas-y!

i received a "mystery wristlet" from Julep and was excited to test out one of the colors, so i came up with this pretty, free-hand design :)

 

this is 2 coats of Julep Sharon. it's a pretty red-berry shimmer polish that is absolutely gorgeous. a red shimmer is a must have in any collection, and this one applied great. 2 coats for full coverage is good with me!

then i free-handed a baroque inspired pattern onto my nails. i did full nails on my ring & thumb nails but only accents on the rest so it wouldn't get overwhelming. 

these were really classic looking and i got tons of compliments! still can't get over the nice color.

Essence Color & Go's! Review and Swatch

Hi everyone! Today I have some awesome swatches of Essence's Color & Go line to show you!
They have come out with 18 new & trendy colors for their Fall/Winter collection.

They have a gel-like shine finish and a fast drying formula! (Best of both worlds, right?)
They also have a new bottle shape! Instead of the old 5ml bottle, they now come in 8ml bottles!

Let's get started with these swatches.

This is Essence Stuck On You. It's a blue-grey creme with a hidden shimmer. It is absolutely gorgeous and the favorite out of the 3 I got. It covered in 2 coats perfectly. It even shines somewhat purple in different lights! A dark grey blurple. Hard to find something like that!

This is 3 coats of Essence Ultimate Pink. It really, truly is the Ultimate Pink. Ultimate Barbie pink, that is. It is a hot pink creme that dries with a crazy shine. It went on a little streaky, so I went with 3 coats to be safe. You could probably get away with 2 coats instead. This is very cute and girly, love it!

Oh, I loved this one. This is Essence Modern Romance. It is a peachy-nude creme with a pink shimmer (Couldn't get that shimmer to photograph! But it's there!) that shows up in direct light. It's a very cute and girly shade! This was 3 coats as I had trouble getting full coverage with 2 coats. This would be an awesome spring shade! I can't wait to use this baby in some nail art!

Here's a comparison of the new bottles. The new bottles are easier to hold and grip to paint evenly and precisely! And who can complain about an extra 3ml a bottle? (Not me!)

All Color & Go polishes are Big 3 Free and have a professional patented brush that distributes color with amazing accuracy!

They have a huge range of colors from brights to classics! You can purchase Essence at ULTA, HEB & Fred Meyer in the States for only $1.99!
You can also purchase Essence Cosmetics in Canada at Shopper's Drug Mart & Pharmaprix!

The products featured in this post were sent to me by the company for an honest review.

Rainbow Honey Equestria Collection!

Hi everyone! Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Not only have I definitely dropped the 31 day challenge (oops, my bad) but I've been without inspiration as I patiently wait for my new indie polishes to come in the mail!
Well, they are finally coming in! After receiving my Lush Lacquer order, I was excited to see what was next.
Then I got my Rainbow Honey order! I saw swatches of the Equestria Collection and couldn't wait to get my hands on it. All of the polishes are inspired by different ponies from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. How cute is that?

Let's get started on some swatches!

This is one coat of Rainbow Honey The Worst Possible Thing over 2 coats of China Glaze Electric Beat. The photo is taken with flash. It is a glitter packed polish with tiny blue, purple, teal, pink, silver glitters. It also featured some flakies! Lots of glitter madness going on here!

No flash photo. The combination of all the glitters in The Worst Possible Thing gives it an overall periwinkle look. That being said, Electric Beat is the perfect underwear, since it is a periwinkle creme.
This was a lovely surprise and definitely my favorite.

This is one coat of Rainbow Honey A Little Kindness over 2 coats of China Glaze Innocence. It is pinkish shimmer base with small, medium and large gold and pink glitters throughout. This is so beautiful. I love a pink and gold combination.

A photo sans flash. I am usually not a fan of shimmery bases, but this sold me! I can't wait to try this over lots of colors.

Last but not least, the party that is Rainbow Honey Pinkie Promise! This is one coat over 2 coats of Joe Fresh Bloom. It has a pink/yellow duochrome shimmer base with pink, blue and gold glitter. It features lots of different sizes of glitter including large, medium and small hex glitters and bar glitters as well.

No flash photo. The duochrome shimmer base is the coolest thing about this polish. Let alone the chunky glitter which made me so excited. The shimmer base shows up mostly pink on it's own and over light colors but it transforms entirely over black. I can't wait to show you guys in the future!

Now i wish I didn't get mini's of these beauties!
Next on my list, 20% Cooler and Koi Pond! Rainbow Honey makes beautiful polishes!

You can purchase Rainbow Honey Polishes on her main website here and keep up with the updates on Facebook.

Nail Art Challenge: Day 5. Blue Nails!

So, as you can see, I am definitely not doing these every day. I'm definitely trying to. I've been better at actually painting them every day than posting them!
This day I was especially excited, because my new Bundle Monster set came in the mail! All of the designs are so adorable. I wanted to use all of them. So hard to decide which to use first.

Well, anyway. Here's day 5, blue nails :)

This is Sally Hansen Instadri Blue Streak. It's a gorgeous sky blue shimmer polish. It has also a frosty finish as well as a nice shimmer. The color is just, oh my god. I can't even. For all you nail art addicts on a budget, Instadri polishes are amazing for the price. This is two coats. It applies evenly and doesn't streak too much.

I then sponged my tips with China Glaze Knotty from the Anchors Away Collection. It's hard to see in this photo, the flash did not agree with me here. It's a pretty subtle effect, Knotty isn't super shear but it is shear enough just to add a little sparkle.

Here is a more accurate, no-flash photo, to show the difference of colors. I really liked how shiny and shimmery this was. I typically like cremes the best and avoid shimmers and shiny finishes other than glitter, so I wasn't sure if I'd like it, but I do!

I then stamped a design from my new Bundle Monster plates! This is an image from BM-314 stamped with Kleancolor Black. I LOVE this design. It was so fancy and funky at the same time. I was really happy with the way this image stamped too. Super clean, and it didn't smudge at all.

Have any of you purchased the new Bundle Monster plates? How did you like them?
I have to say, it was worth every penny!