Saturday, May 14, 2016

Substance Abuse Awareness Box

Hello readers! I'm back today with a very amazing box that is bringing light to a very serious subject. The Substance Abuse Awareness box was the brain child of Mandy Wynder (@mandyluvslacquer) who got four indie makers to come together to contribute to this box. Makers involved are Heather's Hues, Lifestyle Lacquer, Black Lace Cosmetics, and Pink Hibiscus Beauty. I will list all shops and IG links for each maker at the end of this post. I was very excited to be given the opportunity to swatch this box. Over 20 million Americans suffer from some kind of addiction and substances is one of the most common forms of addiction. $5 from each box sale is going to be donated to drugefree.org, so you not only will be receiving four full size polishes, a cuticle oil, awareness ribbon nail vinyls, and awareness ribbons to wear, but you will also be helping out a great organization. I can't wait to share these swatches with you, so let's get to it!



First up is the polish from Lifestyle Lacquer by Nail Jewelry Bling, "Break Free". This is a white crelly polish with blue, red, and purple glitters, as well as beautiful gold shimmer. I love white crellies, so I was really excited for this one. The formula was great. I had no issues applying this polish, even with some of the larger sized glitters. Everything laid flat on the nail and I was able to get this polish opaque in three coats. Nail Jewelry Bling also contributed awareness ribbon vinyls that will be available in red, blue, and purple. I am told you will have the option to choose which color vinyls you want with your box, and that the choice to purchase the other colors separately will also be available. I used the vinyls I received in my swatch package with "Break Free". 

(Indoor Light Box)

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The next polish is from Heather's Hues, "One Day At A Time" which is a blue jelly like polish with silver glitters. This was probably my favorite of the four polishes. I love the dimension this polish creates. Formula was great on this one too. Its packed with glitter, but I had no issues with thickness or clumping of the glitters. I was able to get it opaque in two coats as well.

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Next up is the polish from Black Lace Cosmetics, "Through The Darkness Comes Light" a purple polish with a slight blue shimmer. This was another winner for me. If you love purple, you will love this polish. Formula was great, and the color is stunning. I used three coats with top coat for my pictures, but you could probably get away with two thicker coats.

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The last polish is from Pink Hibiscus Beauty, "We Are Not Broken", which is a red to pink leaning duochrome base with holo and multichrome flakes as well. This polish is the most unique and complex of the four and I absolutely love it. The formula was great on this one as well. I was able to get it opaque in three coats with no issues to report. The duochrome was very hard to capture on my nail, but you can see it in the bottle in my pictures.

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What are your thoughts on the first Substance Abuse Awareness box? I was excited to swatch this one because all four makers are new to me makers and I loved every single polish! I'm going to have to visit their shops myself now and see what else they have for sale! The Substance Abuse Awareness box goes on pre-order May 15th at 4pm EST in the nail jewelry bling shop here and will be up for pre-order until May 27th or until 50 boxes have been sold. The box will be $50 shipped in the US and $45 plus shipping for international. I really hoped you all enjoyed this post and that you run and get this box, so that future substance abuse awareness boxes can be made. It is a subject not many people talk about, but one that many people SHOULD talk about. Be sure to check out each of the makers, as well as Mandy and show them some love for this amazing collaboration they have put together for such a great cause! Until next time, happy polishing!

Heather's Hues
Instagram: @heathers_hues

Nail Jewelry Bling
Instagram: @nailjewelrybling

Black Lace Cosmetics

Pink Hibiscus Beauty

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Polish Your Dreams Planners Gonna Plan Collection


Hello Readers! Today I have a post that features a brand new collection from Polish Your Dreams, that ties two different communities into one. One, is obviously the polish community, and the other is a community that I have wanted to get into for quite sometime, but I still haven't quite taken that plunge. That community is the planner community. Getting into planning has always seemed so overwhelming to me, but after swatching this collection and further looking into it, I honestly feel I'll be diving into this rabbit hole very soon. So let's get to the polish!

First up is "Finding Planner Peace", a pink and gold micro glitter, reminds me of champagne. Formula was good. I had no issues. This polish looks very feminine when worn alone, but if visible nail line (vnl) bothers you, it is also a beautiful polish to layer over other colors as well. I did three coats alone with top coat, as well as one coat over black to show you a different view of this gorgeous polish.

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Next up is "Proud Planner Nerd", which is a pink base with a gold to rose gold shifting shimmer. Such a beautiful polish that would pair so great with "Finding Planner Peace" as an accent nail. Formula was good here as well. I used three coats with top coat for my pictures.

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Next up is "She Turned Her Dreams Into Plans", which is a blue to purple holographic polish. The formula on this one was also good. I did three coats with top coat for my pictures, but if you use slightly thicker coats, you could probably get away with two. I just did three thin coats.

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Next up is my favorite from this collection, "Never Enough Stickers", which is a teal holographic polish with purple glitters. I'm all about my teal polishes, throw in a little purple and it makes it even better and more mermaid feeling for me. So of course this one ended up a favorite. Formula was good here too. I used three coats with top coat for my pictures.

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Next up is "The Wonders of Washi", a clear base with holo and color shifting micro flakes. This polish is so unique. I love it! I swatched this one on its own in three coats as well as over black. This one I actually prefer as a topper. It just makes that gold to red shift pop so much more than when worn alone. The formula was great on this one as well.

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Lastly is "Stalking My Favorite Sticker Shops", which is a silver grey holo polish with micro glitters and a slight blue shimmer. I'm always sucked in by grey polishes and this one is so unique with the added micro glitters. This is probably my second favorite of this collection. Formula was good here too. I used three coats with top coat for my pictures.

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(Indoor Light Box)

Well what are your thoughts on the Planners Gonna Plan collection? Are any of you polish addicts also planners? If so, let me know some of your favorite sticker shops in the comments below so I can check them out! This collection release May 13th at 10am EST in the Polish Your Dreams shop here. To see more amazing swatches be sure to check out their Instagram @polish_your_dreams I hope you enjoyed today's post! Until next time, happy polishing!

Instagram: @polishednshined