KBShimmer Winter 2014 - Snow Way, Fallen Angle, and Holly Back Girl

KBShimmer Winter 2014 Collection

I'm finally back on a working computer and have polishes worth showing off! I was recently able to purchase a few polishes from the KBShimmer Winter 2014 Collection and I would love to share them with you all! I have Snow Way, Fallen Angle, and Holly Back Girl to show you all today. Let's get started! I'm sorry, my pinkie suffered a horrible break before swatching Holly Back Girl.

Snow Way

3 coats of Snow Way topped with 1 coat of Seche Vite

Snow Way is a light blue crelly with various white glitters and just a hint of micro glitters. This polish was released in 2012 and has been reformulated. I used 3 coats of Snow Way for this mani topped with one coat of Seche Vite. The formula is typical of a crelly, a bit thick but loaded with so many glitters application was quite easy. I did not need to the dab and place method, the glitter just went where I wanted it to. I love the look of this polish, the blue is wonderful. It takes me back to days spent sledding as a child. 

Fallen Angle

3 Coats of Fallen Angle topped with 1 coat of Seche Vite

Fallen Angle is a blue jelly with silver and blue glitters and blue holo triangle glitters. The triangles just add a little bit more to this stunning polish. The formula is perfect, with application being just a little bit trickier because of the triangle glitter sinking to the bottom. I usually just turn the bottle upside down for a bit before application. This jelly has a nice depth to it. I used 3 coats of Fallen Angle for these pictures.  

Holly Back Girl

1 Coat of Holly Back Girl over 2 coats of WnW French White Creme

Holly Back Girl is a white crelly with small red and green glitters. I used 1 coat of Holly Back Girl over 2 coats of Wet n Wild French White Creme to give the polish a crisp, stark white look. The glitters in this polish gave me the most issues during application. There was some dragging of the glitters and I had to use the dab and place method on several nails. Even though it is a bit more work during application, this polish does no disappoint once on. I love this polish on the nail and I love how this polish says Christmas without screaming it. 

1 coat of Holly Back Girl with a KBShimmer snowflake decal

There you have it! 3 beautiful polishes from the Winter 2014 Collection from KBShimmer! These polishes and more are available for purchase here. I am always pleased with KBShimmer and cannot wait to use these polishes in many more Christmas/winter manis this holiday season!

No computer=No blog Access!!! Oh no!

 

Computer is dead so it will be quiet here!

Unfortunately, my computer died about a week ago. This makes it a lot harder to create nice blog access! The Blogger app is not easy to use and I can't do a lot of the things I can do on a computer. I have a few posts planned in the near future so I will seek out computer access for those. For now, you can follow me on Instagram @the_polishedphotographer! I am trying to get through all of my untried polishes and keeping track on Instagram! I hope to get a new hard drive ordered soon for our desktop computer, until then it will be quiet around here! I may use this time to do some text only posts that I have been playing around with, we'll see. Thank you for understanding!

OPI Nordic Collection Swatches and Reviews

OPI Nordic Collection

I have 4 polishes from OPI's recently released Nordic collection up for review today. I love almost all of the colors in this collection, unfortunately I was not able to get the whole collection, so we will be looking at My Dogsled Is A Hybrid, Can't Afjord Not To, Do You Have This Color In Stock-holm?, and Thank Glogg It's Friday!. Let's get started!

My Dogsled Is A Hybrid

2 coats under 1 coat of Seche Vite

My Dogsled Is A Hybrid is a minty green creme. The formula is a tad streaky, but isn't a problem after adding a second coat. The minor streaking did not effect the application of the polish. The color the polish applies is true to how it looks in the bottle.

Can't Afjord Not To

2 coats under one coat of Seche Vite

Can't Afjord Not To is a orange creme with a bit of pink undertones. The polish has a bit of a coral look to it in person and is very bright. It was surprisingly easy to apply this polish. Can't Afjord Not To has the second best formula out of these 4.

Do You Have This Color In Stockholm?

2 coats under 1 coat of Seche Vite

Do You Have This Color In Stockholm? is a purple cream. The polish went on darker than it looks in the bottle. It looks brighter in certain lighting, but is darker than expected. I had the most streaking issues with this polish. It was opaque in 2 coats, but the first coat was difficult to apply because of the streaking. This polish was also the worst with staining during clean up and removal. 

Thank Glogg It's Friday!

2 coats under 1 coat of  Seche Vite

Thank Glogg It's Friday! is pink/magenta shimmer polish. This polish applies a lot darker than it looks in the bottle. I was expecting a bright pink polish and got a darker toned magenta polish. Though the color was not what I was expecting, the formula is perfect. This polish applies evenly and smoothly, removal is easy, and the color is beautiful! 

I was overall disappointed in these 4 polishes. Do You Have This Color In Stock-holm? and Thank Glogg It's Friday! were both a lot different on the nail than they appear in the bottle. Thank Glogg It's Friday is the only polish that didn't give me any problems with application. Unfortunately, I love these colors in the bottle, but in the bottle is where they will most likely stay.

Morgan Taylor "Sapphires, Rubies, and Emeralds Oh My" Review and Swatches

2 coats of Morgan Taylor Sapphires, Rubies, Emeralds Oh My

The polish we'll be looking at today is Morgan Taylor Sapphires, Rubies, and Emeralds Oh My. This polish is made up of purple, silver, and blue microglitter in a sheer dark purple base. It turns out this polish is prettier in the bottle. The polish is very lumpy, though still not to difficult to apply. I used two coats, as one coat still allowed some nail to show. Without top coat the polish felt very bumpy and uncomfortable on my nail. One coat of Seche Vite helped smooth out the polish a lot but two coats gave it a much smoother feel and look. All of the glitter shines individually in the bottle but when you put it onto your nails, it all seems to glob together. You don't get a lot of shine from this polish. With all of the glitter in this polish, I expected a lot of shine but I was disappointed. I would not recommend purchasing this polish.

2 coats of Morgan Taylor under 1 coat of Seche Vite

The Giver Collection by China Glaze- New Birth, History of the World and The Outer Edge Review and Swatches

Today I have three polishes from The Giver Collection by China Glaze to share with you! I will review New Birth, History of the World, and The Outer Edge in this post. I have to admit I was pretty disappointed in History of the World and New Birth. They are both cremes and both have less than perfect formulas.The Outer Edge is good as a glitter topper, but is nothing special. Let's get started! 

New Birth

2 coats of History of the World under 1 coat of Seche Vite

China Glaze History of the World is gorgeous deep purple creme that sometimes looks blue. This polish makes me want to drink a grape soda. As much as I love the color, I was sorely disappointed by the formula. My bottle is very thick. The polish was stringy by the time I finished painting one nail. I hope this is just a fluke with my bottle and they are not all like this. It made the polish difficult to use. Coverage was achieved in 2 coats. The wonderful color may not be worth the difficulty of applying the polish. History of the World has a long drying time, even when using Seche Vite.

Pictured here with one coat of The Outer Edge as a topper

New Birth

3 coats of New Birth under 1 coat of Seche Vite

China Glaze New Birth is a very pale blue creme. This is a clean, pretty color that would be perfect as as "something blue" mani for a wedding. Unfortunately, the formula leaves much to be desired. I needed 3 coats to achieve the coverage I wanted. New Birth doesn't try very well. I had to do this mani twice because of damage to the polish at least a half hour after I finished polishing. The formula of New Birth is comparable to the formula of Sinful Colors Sugar Rush. I expect better from China Glaze.

New Birth with 1 coat of The Outer Edge as a topper

The Outer Edge

The Outer Edge consists of small white and some holo glitter in a clear base. This polish has the best formula of the three polishes. It applies evenly and smoothly. Removal was very easy. The index finger has two coats while the other 3 fingers have one coat. One coat provided plenty of glitter coverage. This polish makes me think of snow.

Overall, unless you can't live without these colors, I would not recommend purchasing them. History of the World and New Birth have disappointing formulas, while The Outer Edge is different but is not a must buy. 

Did you have trouble with these polishes?

Conjured Polish "The Bioshock Collection"

The Bioshock Collection

Hello everyone! I am very excited for the polishes I have to show you today! The wonderful maker of Conjured Polish recently sent me 6 new polishes that form the upcoming Bioshock Collection! For those who don't know, Bioshock is a horror themed first person shooter video game made by 2K games. The tentative release date is September 8th, and trust me, that date cannot come fast enough! 

I have two confessions to make before we start, 1. I have never played any of the Bioshock games and 2. These polishes make me really want to play the games. Luckily, the owner and creator of Conjured Polish, Amanda, has provided me with a small amount of background info for each polish. Now, onto the polish!

Big Daddy 

2 coats of Big Daddy in its normal state. 

This is Big Daddy, a thermal color changing polish with a slight shimmer that for me went from a very light lime green to a beautiful hunter green when wet/cold. Application of this polish is smooth and easy, with a formula reminiscent of a jelly polish.

2 coats of Big Daddy under 1 coat of Seche Vite after being in cold water. 

The color changed from dark green back to light green very quickly after being removed from the cold water. I love getting light and dark green from one polish. This polish is named for a main character in Bioshock 1 and 2.

Booker

One coat of Booker and 1 coat of Seche Vite 

Booker is a beautiful metallic burgundy/maroon polish. The formula applied evenly and smoothly. My favorite thing about this polish is that it only took 1 coat for full coverage. I add a second coat of every polish, except this one! It was amazing! I love this polish, it is a gorgeous color and can be done in one quick, smooth coat! Perfect for a busy mom like me!

Booker changes color slightly at different angles.

Booker is inspired by a character in Bioshock Infinite.

Songbird

2 coats of Songbird under 1 coat of Seche Vite

Songbird consists of green, orange, and red holo glitter in a black jelly base. This polish is beautiful. It gives off a dark Christmas kind of vibe and I love it.This polish is very easy to apply. I didn't have to fish around the bottle for glitter or use the dab and place method. All of the glitter is very evenly distributed through out the polish. I used 2 coats of Songbird when it was by itself and then only used 1 coat to put it over a black base.

1 coat of Songbird over 1 coat of Sally Hansen Black out. Applied 1 coat of Seche Vite

Songbird is also inspired by a character from Bioshock Infinite, who is definitely not related to Christmas!

Little Sister

Index finger- 1 coat, Middle finger- 2 coats, last 2 fingers-2 coats over WnW French White Creme with 1 coat Seche Vite over all fingers.

Little Sister is various purple glitter in a white crelly base. I kept this polish upside to help distribute the glitter before using. The formula of the crelly base is perfect. I did have to fish around the bottle for the larger glitter and I did use the dab and place method a few times. This polish is beautiful over a crisp white base. The application of this polish was a little tricky, but removal is much easier than expected. Little Sister came off just as quickly as the other polishes and only needed a bit more force than I use with microglitter to remove the large glitter. I try to not play favorites, but this is my favorite. The end result is worth every second I spent looking for more glitter. This will definitely be a polish I use often.

Little Sister is named for a creepy main character from Bioshock 1 and 2. (Seriously, google her)

Our Lady Elizabeth

2 coats of Our Lady Elizabeth under 1 coat of Seche Vite

Our Lady Elizabeth is a gorgeous light blue glow in the dark polish with a slight shimmer. The color reminds me of the Crayola Crayon, Robin's Egg Blue. This polish applied and removed easily, as it went on evenly and smoothly. I was happy with how 2 coats looked but a third coat would make this look even better. 

I tried to capture the glow in the dark quality of the polish.

My picture does not do Our Lady Elizabeth justice, I'm sorry. This polish has a vivid blue glow in the dark. The microglitter in the shimmer in this polish gives the polish a neat speckled look when it is glowing. Our Lady Elizabeth is inspired by a character in Bioshock Infinite.

Comstock House

2 coats of Comstock house under 1 coat of Seche Vite

Comstock House is a gold metallic glow in the dark polish. It gives off a green glow in the dark. It doesn't glow as brightly as Our Lady Elizabeth but that is due to the use of different materials in the polishes. I used 2 coats for this polish, because in my opinion metallic polishes leave streaks. This polish is a little difficult to use for that reason. The formula of the polish is smooth and well done.

I'm sorry this is not a good picture of Comstock House in the dark. This polish glows green, but it isn't as bright, so it was difficult for me to photograph. This polish also has a bit of a speckled look while glowing. It may look better when a black light is used. 

Comstock House was inspired by a scene in Bioshock Infinite.

I had very few problems with the polishes and the few issues I did have were cleared up by the owner! Overall, these polishes are fantastic!

There you go, the entire Bioshock collection from Conjured Polish! These six beautiful polishes are set to be released on September 8, 2014!

You will be able to purchase them and her other beautiful polishes in her Etsy Shop! Conjured polish donates a $1 from each polish sold to the Wounded Warrior Project! Also, make sure to follow her Facebook page for all the latest news!

Quick post tonight featuring some puppy nails

The lovely lady behind the blog The Tailored Mama requested some dog manicures for her friend. I decided to try one to help her out. I'm not sure yet if she will be using this or not but it is still cute! It isn't perfect by any means (and is actually driving me crazy but it is after 2 a.m.) but it is the thought that counts right? :)

 I used several colors in this mani, including 2 untried polishes, OPI Anti-Bleak and China Glaze Custom Kicks. Other polishes used are Wet N WILD French White Cream, Zoya Dove, and Sally Hansen Black Out.

I have to admit though, I am more of a cat person! What about you, cats or dogs?

In sunlight

Inside lighting