Another mani today with the fabulous It Girl 03 plate which I was sent for review. This was also a great chance to use my UberMat and make some decals!
I bought the Color Club pastel neons MONTHS ago, and then took my blogging break, and for the longest time they have been sat on my shelf staring at me accusingly. This mani seemed a perfect time to use them!
There is no base on my nails, just base coat. I stamped onto my UberMat (over a prepped aread of base coat) using Barry M Silver Foil, and then basically coloured in!
I loved the childish aspect of the colouring in lol, but I have to tell you, this KILLED my back! I don't think I could have chosen a pickier pattern, and this took me pretty much an hour to do (for 5 nails), which is unheard of for me.
Still, the final effect was worth it, something about the pastels with that silver is just WOAH to me, and I really was reluctant to take this one off.
You can follow It Girl Nail Art on Facebook HERE and shop shop shop HERE.
Today, we rejoice in the world of indie, and a few bloggers and fans are choosing today to share their favourite indie brands and manis.
Out of all the madness, malarkey and yes, mentality of this week, I have been overjoyed to see so many fans coming together to support indies. If you've never tried an indie before, please don't let the Mentality crap put you off - indies in general are amazing, crazily-gifted ladies (and a few men) who understand great customer service and will bend over backwards to be helpful.
I thought long and hard about which way to go with today's post, and in the end I decided to share a mani from MY favourite indie brand, Literary Lacquers. Here are a few reasons why I love this brand - - great product. Amazing colours, mixes, finishes, as well as that fabulous literary theme - good price point - great quality - good brush, lasts decently, no sinking glitters etc - holos to die for, and Amy's special holo trademark, a unique glitter and holo mix that's just g-g-g-gorgeous - a maker who genuinely loves her customers and encourages interaction. Amy's is the first "fan" group I remember on Facebook and she uses it to genuinely connect with her fans, run competitions and invite ideas. It's a lovely, friendly place, with exactly the right sort of vibe - super customer service. You're not a number to Amy, you're a PERSON, and she treats you like a friend
I've been VERY lucky, and I have swatched for Amy for 2, 2 and a half years now. That means I get to experience most of her amazing products for free. However, I started out as a buyer and a fan, and I am still a buyer and a fan. If she releases exclusives, I *still* go to her shop for them, and I am NEVER disappointed.
Today is not the time or the place to show you my favourite Literary Lacquer polishes. It IS the time to explain why Indies are awesome, and show you a lovely mani done with 2 of Amy's polishes.
You have been watching a painted gradient of Blue Lullaby over Thermofish, with white stamped swirls from MoYou Sailor 07.
This should have been last night's post, but I made a last minute switch so that we could all pause and just rejoice in the magic that is Indie-Land. One of my most trusted brands is on the blog today, with what I think is her best collection yet - behold the Fall 2015 holos from Indigo Bananas!
This collection has 7 stunning polishes and I made the grand sacrifice of taking photos in the actual SUNSHINE!! Those who know me know that I am a vampire, and the mere thought of sunlight brings me out in hives, so that's how much I love this brand lol. Also, sun photos are TRICKY. Your camera keeps trying to cast a shadow on what you're photographing, and you're also in a race against time for consistent light.
Let's start with Indigo Montoya the .. indigo of the bunch. Like its brothers and sisters, this is fabulous - intense of colour, rich of holo and gah-lorious all over.
In the bottle it "just" looks purple, but there's a lot of blue in this polish too. Super fierce, super gorgeous.
Next is Olive Time and Space (fnar fnar). This was the first polish I photographed, and for me the lighting isn't as perfect, so apologies you're not seeing her at her best.
This is deep DEEP olive that floods with light when the holo strikes. A great fall colour.
Polish of Unusual Quality or POUQ is my absolute favourite of the collection - here she is (above) catching some rays.
The sun had moved a lot by this point, so I also took some indoor photos - will you just LOOK at her! Serious beauty here.
I love the darkness of the magenta, the angles of blue, the fizz of purple - this polish is majesterially complex and utterly utterly bewitching.
I was curious how it compared to my favourite of the year, Berry Good Looking by Cupcake Polish, and you can see, there's a fair bit of difference between them, Cupcake leaning lighter and more blue.
Rhythm and Booze .... aah. Firstly, how can you NOT love a polish with a name like this? If you follow my Facebook page, this is the purple I have been teasing in my "profile" pic.
Again, I didn't like the outdoor photos - the sun had moved a tad too much, and it was either take indoor photos, or get fully dressed to find another outdoor location - laziness won lol.
This is such a rich and complex purple, it's just utterly perfect in every way. The fizzes of blue are sublime, and this *may* be my new favourite purple holo. Maybe. Probably.
Shrieking Teals is a polish so perfect I don't even know where to start. Bright and epicly holo, this is just EVERYTHING.
I utterly adore this polish - the colour, the tone, the dazzle, the bend - it's all just exactly how it should be.
There is one drawback - it does stain. You'll need big girl panties underneath this one. Andrea tells me she wore it for 4 days and was able to remove all staining with cuticle remover.
Next, another favourite, and another great name - Synonym Bun haha. But it makes me hungry. Isn't this a fab colour ? Autumn in a bottle.
I love the shade of this, and that despite being a sultry, fall-coloured tone, it's still so bright and shiny and pretty!
I did my intake of breath thing when the sun caught hold of this one. The heat and the warmth are amazing in this polish - and I love that the colour is just a little "off-normal" and different.
And finally ... sniff, finally - Volcanic Corruption, a red of such epicness that it IS the best red holo of all time.
This is the brightest, lightest pure red holo I own - and wow she's a sexy witch. Top coat makes her a tad darker (I have her photographed here without top coat) but still poppy-bright.
To make a red holo like this is pure alchemy, and I know I sound like I am gushing, but this entire collection really is THAT good. My favourites are Volcanic Corruption, Rhymn and Booze and POUQ, and they all go fairly high into my "holos of all time list". Other than the Hoop neons from Girly Bits, this is the collection of the year so far.
These polishes were sent for my honest review and can and should and must for the sake of your own sanity be purchased here LOL xx
