Dainty Digits Galaxy Holo Part 1 Swatch and Review

Greetings and Nailutations!

Today I have half of the Galaxy Holo set from Dainty Digits, which can be bought online here.

The first polish is called It's Not Pluto and it is a cocoa brown holo.  The color is calming and the perfect nude if you need work appropriate color.

The next holo is Out Of This World, which is a green apple colored holo.  It is a perfect color for spring and St. Patrick's Day which is fast approaching.

Cosmic Chaos is the perfect soft grey holo.  I love this one!

Planetary Pearl: Reloaded is a light berry colored holo.  This color is perfect for spring.

And lastly is the fun one: Galactic Blast.  It is a holo topcoat and turns any polish into a holo.  I had to test it's ability and did a skittle of black, mint green, purple and magenta and WOW!  This polish will be used until the last drop!

Details:
Store: Dainty Digits
Instagram: dainty_digits_polish

Loves: formula is great, colors are fun AND the owner/creator is ALWAYS having great sales.  She also has discounts for nail technicians & those studying to become nail technicians too.

Wishes: I wish I had worn a nude colored base, so then I would have only had to do 2 coats, but on a few of these polishes I needed 3 coats to reduce VNL (visible nail line).

Happy Polishing,
Kristi aka @beginnails

Beginnails' Sunday Six Week 12

Greetings and Nailutations!

Week 12!  Wow!  Time flies when you are painting your nails!  Half my favorites are from blog reviews that I did this week.

 The first mani is from my blog entry on Microbrew, a new line which is opening this week!  This was called To Edith & her polishes are all named for drinks!  I loved the light grey base with the light pink glitters.

My next favorite mani was the silver and gold glitter used with black from my review on Krafty Gurl.  I love glitter gradients and tend to do them quite a bit.

And one of my favorite spring colors, this is Lilac from my review on ND Lacquers.  This colors is so beautiful!

The other technique I have been favoring (other than glitter gradients) is distressed nails.  These I used 4 different colors over white and then stamped some flowers over them.  These got quite a few comments and one person asked if they were nail wraps.

This week I also used my first Lynnderella, Love Potion No. 99.9.  Purple and red glitters together!  LOVE!  (Apologies for the lighting being off - I do not filter my photos, so my skin looks tanner than it typically is.)

Lastly, using some nail vinyls, which worked like stencils in this mani, I had fun make stars.

Happy Polishing,
Kristi aka @beginnails

ND Lacquers Spring Flowers Collection and Giveaway

Greetings and Nailutations!

Spring is in the air…well it is here in Arizona, the Sonoran Desert.  It is getting warm (actually got sun burned last weekend while meeting up with a fellow nail addict (@amylovesnewwave).  I know it is colder in other parts of the country, which is why I figured I should bring out the spring colors and have a warming giveaway…even if it just warms your heart.  :)

This review is on ND Lacquers' Spring Flowers collection (minus Lily - a white polish).  Get ready for pastel and floral colors!

First up is a delicate peach by the name of Tulip.  Photos below show 3 coats to achieve total opacity.  What I liked most about this polish is that there are little shimmers in the creme polish.

Next up is a gorgeous periwinkle blue called Hyacinth.  This calming and soothing blue also has little shimmer flecks dispersed in the lacquer.  Below shows 2 coats for total opacity.

Camellia is the third polish, which is a soft pink.  It is beautiful!

Next is Lilac, a gorgeous lavender, which is my favorite of the set.  My eyeballs love this color!

Lastly is the glitter topper called Bouquet.  It contains coral squares, iridescent, lavender, pink and silver hexes.  I have it over a all the colors (ring is Lilac and Camellia mixed together).

Loves:  Who isn't ready for some pretty spring colors?  This collection and theme go together like peanut butter and honey (were you expecting jelly?  seriously…honey is SOOOO good with peanut butter).  Formulas were easy to work with, lighter colors required 3 coats for opacity while the darker colors were opaque with 2.

Wishes: This collection did a great job hitting all the expectations of a floral motif theme.  If I were to try to improve on anything - I would have liked to have seen some little flower glitters in the glitter topper to really tie flowers or some additional shapes to play on different shapes of flower petals, but the colors selected for the glitter topper were perfect.

Notes:
NDLacquers can be bought online (NDLACQUERS), has a Facebook site, and an instagram page @ndlacquers

Best news - a set in the mini size was purchased by me for a lucky winner!  Must be 18+ or 13-17 with parental permission.   US Mailing Address Needed

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Happy Polishing,
Kristi aka @beginnials

Krafty Gurl Designs Anniversary Trio and Top Coat Review

Greetings and Nailutations!

This post is more of a continuation of a previous post where I had mentioned that I would be giving away the Krafty Gurl anniversary trio and a duo (LINK TO GIVEAWAY - ends February 21st, 2014 11pm AZ time).  It arrived recently, along with my own trio, so I decided to swatch it as well as review the top coat Gloss It, which Jeanine threw in as a little gift!  :)

Let's start with the trio!  The first is Hotsy Totsy which is a gorgeous gold polish.  It is packed full of gold shimmer and makes any finger feel like it's worth a million bucks!  Below Hotsy Totsy is shown with 2 coats and the Gloss It top coat!

Next is The Cat's Meow which is a black crelly with little gold flecks.  Below I have 2 coats with the Gloss It top coat.  Great formula and it was opaque in just 1 coat.

Last of the trio is The Ritz.  It is a gold and silver glitter topper.  Below thumb and ring show almost full coverage with 2 coats and the remaining fingers, a gradient, all over The Cat's Meow.

Now let's talk about Gloss It.  Let's be honest with ourselves about top coats….we all have a favorite.  I actually use several.  I use an indie top coat for swatching because it gives me high shine, but doesn't have the fast drying perk.  Then I use Seche Vite for large glitters and if I'm in a rush because we all know it dries in a snap, but the shrinkage is a killer.  I use another indie top coat for any nail art I do because it doesn't smear, but I tend to get bubbles.  Gloss It advertises as a new non-yellowing, high shine, fast drying top coat from Krafty Gurl.  That is a lot of promises!  I used it over each of the manis pictured and it matches the high shine topcoat that I typically use for swatching.  After using it on thumb-pointer-middle-ring-pinky (in that order) pausing occasionally, I went back to my thumb and it was dry to touch!  WHAT!?  (NOTE: I do my nails next to a fan which helps in the drying process too.)  I also used it over some nail art which had a lot of different colors and fine lines and there was no smearing of the colors.  I was very impressed with Gloss It and may have found a new topcoat to utilize on a regular basis for all categories (nail art, glitter, swatching)!  I did not test out the longevity….let's face it, I do my nails daily…but I have read other reviews where people kept it on for longer periods of time with no tip wear or chipping.  Here is a final shot with Gloss It!

As a reminder of Krafty Gurl details
Shop: Krafty Gurl Designs
Facebook: Krafty Gurl Designs
Twitter: KraftyGurlJRF
Instagram: kraftygurldesigns

Happy Polishing,
Kristi aka @beginnails

Microbrews Nail Polish Swatch and Review

Greetings and Nailutations!

*Press Sample* Today's post is about an indie line that is just starting out!  Microbrews Nail Polish is the newest kid on the block.  Please visit MicrobrewsNP Facebook page and give it a like for release date information as well as her instagram and twitter (@microbrewsnp).  Current spring release schedule is February 28th and is called Raise Your Glass - all named for drinks.  How cute is that?  I am a light-weight, so I just have 2 "drinks" for you today.  haha.  All Microbrews NP can be bought online here.

The first polish on tap is called To Edith.  It is a light grey jelly-crelly with light pink hexes as well as a pink shimmer infused in the base.  Photos below show 2 coats dabbed on over a nude basecoat and shiny topcoat.

Release notes from Microbrews NP:
To Edith: "Poor old Edith, we never seem to talk about her."  Until this season, Lady Edith Crawley was a bit of a wallflower in the adventures that took place in Downton Abbey.  Until her quiet efforts during Downton's use as a convalescent home are noticed by a visiting general.  The general recognizes that Edith is the one providing the best care to the patients and proposes a toast at a formal dinner.  Family and visitors raise their glasses in a champagne toast "To Edith". With a subtle grey base and loads of light pink hex glitter, this polish as an understated depth.

The second polish is On Deck, named for butter beer, pays homage to the Harry Potter series!  Bronze glitters float around in a gold shimmer base and adds pizazz to any mani!  Below I used 2 coats over a white jelly and then over a white & black mani and topped it off with a shiny top coat.

Release notes from Microbrews NP:
On Deck:  If butterbeer were real and not just in the world of Harry Potter, spilling it would be a crime, right?  I'd hope so.  Horace Slughorn, a little into his cup, spills butterbeer on Hermione Granger and declares "All Hands on deck, Granger!" - one of the best lines in the series.  Butterbeer seems a bit magical and in my mind, the color of butterscotch.  On Deck is a gold shimmer jelly base with darker brown sparkles - a little bit of added magic.

Loves:  First off the polishes are amazing!  They are beautiful, formula is great and who doesn't love a fun and original concept for naming products?  I am excited to see where Microbrews NP goes and what else will be on tap.  Added plus is that it is 5-free, so it does not contain any of the 5 nasties that can be found in nail polish!

Wishes: I am thoroughly impressed with both formula and color combinations, my only wish is that the store was open now so I could see what else is on tap! (I'll be patient…) Opens February 28th of 2014!

Happy Polishing,
Kristi aka @beginnails

Beginnails' Sunday Six Week 11

Greetings and Nailutations!

Another week and the Olympics are under way!  Not much nail art this week due to so much Olympic watching, but I fell in love with the swatches of Bliss Polish I did, so 3 of my favorites this week are from that blog review.

First up is Destiny by Bliss Polish in it's matte form.  It is so beautiful!

Next is a gorgeous maroon holo called Wine & Dine by Bliss.  I LOVE HOLO!!

The final swatch is of XO by Bliss and the color combination is so delicious!

Next is my first Hare Polish!  I added some electric bolts and stripes to sass it up!

And, one of my favorites is my tree of love.  I was so happy how this turned out!

  Lastly is my Valentine's mani which was a mix and match of stripes, leopard print and distressed.

Have a wonderful week!
Happy Polishing,
Kristi aka @beginnails