Smokey Mountain Lacquers 2014 Summer Collection Swatch and Review

Greetings and Nailutations,

*Press Sample*
Today I have 3 of the 6 polishes from the Smokey Mountain Lacquers Summer Collection.  I was really excited about this collection because Kim (owner of SML) mentioned they can be used for nail art!  I'll be sharing the swatches and art I created with the polishes.

Now let's get to some swatches!

First up is Lemon Tart, a shimmery yellow creme.  Lemon Tart is a crisp, fresh yellow which is perfect as a base for nail art, like stamping.  Formula was nice and easy to apply.  Photos show 2 coats for total opacity with shiny top coat and stamping with Winstonia and Mash Plates.

Next is Marshmallow Cream, a perfect white crelly.  This would work perfect for a jelly sandwich (layer of Marshmallow Cream followed by a layer of glitter and then another layer of Marshmallow Cream).  Added stamping with a Born Pretty Plate and Sheer Perfection Tints from Polish Pusher to add a pop of color.  Photos show 2 coats with a shiny top coat.

The last polish I have to share is called Refreshmint.  Refreshmint is a mint green holographic polish.  Mint + holo = HAPPY FACE!  Easy to work with because the formulas of Smokey Mountain Lacquer polishes are amazing.  Photos show 2 coats with shiny top coat.  I decided to water marble over the over Refreshmint using Lemon Tart, Marshmallow Cream and the shiny top coat.  Loved how it turned out.

Loves:  I love polishes that are easy to use for nail art!  All are water marble friendly and work perfect as bases for art.  I love the shimmer in Lemon Tart, I love the diversity that Marshmallow Cream can be used for and who doesn't love a holo?  Formula for all 3 were great and of course Smokey Mountain Lacquers are 5-free so they don't contain 5 of the nasty chemicals that an be in polish.

Wishes:  I wouldn't change anything - this collection is full of fun colors!

Additional colors of the collection include Plumtastic - deep purple holo, Berry Smoothie - hot pink holo and Creme de Menthe - teal green crelly.

Shiny Top Coat: Gem Glam Top Coat from www.dreampolish.com
Stamping Plates: Winstonia & Born Pretty Store (use code DGJ61 for 10% off)

Stay connected to Smokey Mountain Lacquers!

Store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/SmokeyMtnLacquers

Instagram: @SmokeyMtnLacquers

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SmokeyMtnLacquers

Twitter: @SmokeyMtnLacquers

Happy Polishing,
Kristi aka @BeginNails

Heather's Hues Perfect Polish Pack Swatch and Review

Greetings and Nailutations,

*Press Sample*
Today I'm sharing Perfect Polish Packs, which are a joint package of polish and stencils from Heather's Hues and Nails Redesigned.  I had fun trying to think of manis to create with the stencils and Heather's Hues polish complimented the designs so well.  The theme of this Perfect Polish Pack is Caribbean Island.

Now lets get to some swatches!

First up in Tropical Waters, a royal blue jelly with blue, teal, purple and silver micro glitter and flakes.  This polish lights up a room in the right light and adding a matte top coat gives it additional dimension.  Formula was easy to apply.  Photos show 2 coats with shiny top coat (1st, 2nd, 3rd photos) and matte top coat (4th photo).

Next is Island In The Sun, a perfect shimmery nude-beige.  Island In The Sun contains gold micro glitter and is on the sheer side.  Perfect neutral work appropriate polish for those that need to look on the professional side.  To obtain total opacity 3 coats would be needed.  Photos show 2 coats over a nude colored base with shiny top coat.

Sunset Over The Sea is next from the Perfect Polish Packs.  It is a glitter jelly in a very lightly tinted blue base.  Sunset Over The Sea contains blue hexes in several sizes, purple hexes, orange hexes and magenta circles - all the colors you would see in an island sunset.  Photos show 2 coats over a nude base coat with shiny top coat.

The last polish is Paradise Pink, a fuchsia jelly with gold micro flakes.  Gorgeous color and great formula to work with.  Please be aware that this polish highly pigmented and will need at least 2 base coats to prevent staining.  Photos show 2 coats over a nude base with shiny top coat (1st and 2nd photo) and matte top coat (3rd photo).

The other part of the Perfect Polish Pack are the stencils from Nails Redesigned.  I did a mani with each set of stencils.

First mani is using the tropical flower vinyl stencil.  I used Island In The Sun as the base, applied a fast dry top coat (Seche Vite) and waited 10 minutes, then applied the stencil.  I painted Tropical Waters over the stencil and then gently pulled it up.  I then added a drop of Paradise Pink to the center of the flowers and used a black striper to add little dots.  Stencil was easy to use, and very adhesive.

Next I used the palm tree stencils and created an island scene.  Base is Tropical Waters, and then I painted on Skinny Dipping (from the On The Way To Cape May Collection of Heather's Hues) and applied a fast dry top coat (Seche Vite).  After 10 minutes, I applied the palm tree stencil and used white to paint the trees and then pulled away the stencil.  I painted the tree trunks with Island In The Sun and the greenery is Beach Grass (from the On The Way To Cape May Collection of Heather's Hues).

The wave stripes were next and I used Island In The Sun as a base, applied a fast dry top coat (Seche Vite) and then applied the wave stripes and painted Tropical Waters.  I love that the vinyls were so adhesive that it picked up all the details of the wave.

The last vinyls are bursts in 2 different styles.  I decided to create a fun french mani with one set using Paradise Pink and Tropical Waters.

Shiny Top Coat: Gem Glam Top Coat from www.dreampolish.com
Nude Base Coat: Butter London

Loves:  The combination of polish and vinyls is always a great idea and I'm so happy to see Heather and Sara work together on this!  The theme is fun and allows for so much creativity for those who pick up a Perfect Polish Pack.  The polishes, as always, are great quality from Heather and really pretty (I love her jellies!).  For the stencils/vinyls, I was really impressed.  They have more adhesiveness than other vinyls I have tried.  This is great because this means when you stick the stencil or vinyl to your nail, it sticks.  All the details are picked up in the stencil and there is no bleeding under it (which happens on occasion with other vinyls I have tried).  It adheres firmly to the corners and edges of your nail, which is always a trouble area with other vinyls.

Wishes:  I wouldn't change anything with this polish pack - they are fun and a great deal!  I do wish I had tried Nails Redesigned earlier!

Stay Connected:
Heather's Hues: http://heathers_hues.storenvy.com (to purchase polish and Perfect Polish Packs)
Nails Redesigned: http://nailsredesigned.storenvy.com (to purchase additional vinyls and stencils)
Heather's Hues Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heathhues
Nails Redesigned Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nailsredesigned
Heather's Hues Instagram: @heathers_hues
Nails Redesigned Instagram: @nails_redesigned

Happy Polishing,
Kristi aka @BeginNails

Beginnails' Sunday Six Week 34

Greetings and Nailutations,

It's that time again, time for my favorite 6 manis of the week!  This week was mostly swatching polishes, so I didn't get a chance to do anything too creative with my nails.  But this next week, fun manis are in store, just you wait!!  Of course if you want to see every mani I do, they are uploaded to instagram (@BeginNails).

First mani is a simple swatch with an added touch of owl!  I used Contrary Polish Bright Lights, Small City (which was part of Llarowe's A Box, Indied) with a matte top coat to give it a soft appearance.  I added an owl charm from Charmingly Simple Nail Art and decided to hold an owl pendant, which I purchased from the Born Pretty Store (use code DGJ61 for 10% off).

Another favorite of this week is Feather Boa from Drip Drop Nail Paint and an accent nail of dots and a bow.  Bow is from Charmingly Simple Nail Art.

Next is a fun zebra pattern with ruffian look using Atop A Ferris Wheel from Elevation Polish (which was part of Llarowe's A Box, Indied).  I also topped the mani off with Gem Glam Top Coat from My Dream Polish.

Pink girly warning!  In this mani I used Essie's Madison Ave-hue, a black polish and some rectangular crystal studs.  These were fun and I got a few compliments at work about them.

The next two manis are from swatching Laquerlicious Vacation To Paradise Collection.  This first one is using a glitter topper called Midnight At The Oasis.  I decided to play off the blue glitters and used We Are Mint To Be and I Cast A Spell On Blue both from Jenna Hipp.

And lastly is Two Tickets To Paradise from the Laquerlicious Vacation To Paradise Collection.  This used two Jenna Hipp colors Refresh Mint and Daft Pink in a simple tape mani.

Which is your favorite?

Happy Polishing,
Kristi @BeginNails

July A Box, Indied Review and Swatches

Greetings and Nailutations,

July's A Box, Indied from Llarowe (an online stockist) is again a little late this month (sorry!).   I still have swatches below and my thoughts on it.  Next month's should be at the start of the month.  This month's box is "A Fair To Remember".

Now let's get to some swatches!

First up is Freaks At The Fair from Jindie Nails.  Freaks At The Fair is a teal glitter crelly containing silver, gold and white squares, white, silver, orange and red and teal circles in a few sizes, teal, and white and silver hexes in a few sizes.  Formula was easy to work with and the photo below shows 2 coats with shiny top coat.

Deep Fried Everything from Black Cat Lacquer is next in the box.  It is a white jelly with multicolored hex glitter (neon pink, green, neon green, neon blue, red) and white triangles.  The white jelly base also contained some holo micro glitters that picked up the light beautifully.  The triangles didn't really pop because they were white.  Photo below shows 2 coats over a white undie with shiny top coat.

One of my favorites is Bright Lights, Small City from Contrary Polish.  Bright Lights, Small City is a navy blue creme with purple and gold micro glitter to give it an extra shimmer.  Photos show 2 coats with shiny top coat (1st and 2nd photo) and matte top coat (3rd photo) with Owl Charm.

Next is Elevation Polish's Atop A Ferris Wheel.  Atop A Ferris Wheel is a soft lavender creme with iredescent micro flakes.  Perfect formula and applied easily - this was my first Elevation Polish.  Photo shows 2 coats with shiny top coat.

Lastly, and one of my favorites of this month is a glitter topper from Dollish Polish called This Ring Toss Is RIGGED!  The glitter topper contains red, white, yellow and turquoise glitter in the shapes of hexes, squares, circles and donuts.  Photo shows 2 coats dabbed on over navy blue (Jenna Hipp I Cast A Spell On Blue) topped with shiny top coat.  No glitter fishing was needed.

Shiny Top Coat: Gem Glam Top Coat from www.dreampolish.com
Owl Charm: www.charminglysimple.storenvy.com
Owl Necklace: www.bornprettystore.com and don't forget to use code DGJ61 for 10% off your order

Loves: My favorites of the box are Bright Lights, Small city from Contrary Polish and This Ring Toss is RIGGED!  Both are fun and creative and original.  This month all polishes applied easily as well.

Wishes:  I wish the white triangles in Deep Fried Everything were a different color so they popped more in the polish, but overall this month had a good box of polish!

Which is your favorite?

Happy Polishing,
Kristi aka @BeginNails

Vacation To Paradise Collex from Laquerlicious Swatch and Review

Greetings and Nailutations,

*Blogger Package*
Today I have a fun collection called Vacation to Paradise from Laquerlicious.  Paradise....what do you think of when you hear that word?  For me, I think of a beach!  This collection nailed my idea of paradise.  This is my first collection from Laquerlicious, I had only tried 2 of Michelle's (owner of Laquerlicious) polishes before and I was super excited.  She is known for making great glitter bombs and fun glitter combinations for toppers. This collection really opened my eyes to adding more Laquerlicious polish to my collection.

Now let's get to some swatches!

First up is On Vacation, a glitter bomb with complete coverage in 3 coats.  On Vacation contains hexes in a few sizes in purple, lavender, iridescent teal, white and dark purple.  This is the perfect polish for glitter lovers and purple loves (raises hand ME ME ME!).  Glitter came out easily with zero fishing.  Photos show 3 thin coats with shiny top coat.

Next is Sand-tastic, a brown glitter jelly.  This is my first brown glitter jelly and I must say I really liked it.  I was a little worried at first, but the combination of brown, gold, magenta and orange glitter really added a classy look to the brown jelly base.  Formula was easy to work with and photo shows 2 coats with shiny top coat.

Distant Shores provides the water for the beach vacation I had in my mind.  Distant Shores is packed full of glitter in a teal jelly base.  Teal, green, iridescent glitter are all floating around to give Distant Shores it's depth.  Formula was great and photos show 2 coats with shiny top coat.

Wish You Were Here is a deep red wine glitter jelly that warms the heart, just like the name.  Wish You Were Here contains purple, lavender, magenta hexes and small squares.  Photos show 2 coats which applied easily topped with a shiny top coat.

Two Tickets To Paradise is a dynamic glitter topper (and a song you can really rock out to).  It contains medium and small circles, large and medium stars, micro glitter, squares and triangles in colors of teal, purple, magenta, silver holo and pink.  Photos show 1 coat dabbed on with slight glitter placement over a tape mani using Jenna Hipp colors (Refresh-Mint and Daft Pink) topped with a shiny top coat.

The last polish of the Vacation To Paradise Collection is Midnight At The Oasis.  Midnight At The Oasis is a fun glitter topper containing royal blue, purple, teal hexes, large circles, triangles, stars and micro glitter.  Photos show 1 coat dabbed on with no glitter fishing over Jenna Hipp colors (We Are Mint To Be and I Cast A Spell On Blue gradient and swatch) and topped with a shiny top coat.

Loves:  Fun collection that pushed the creative envelope with glitter and jelly combinations.  I would never think of buying a brown glitter jelly, but Michelle made it pretty and interesting.  Formula was easy to work with on all and there was little to no glitter fishing.  Brushes....yes I love big brushes for glitter polishes, they make application a breeze.  I also love that Laquerlicious is 5-free so it does not contain 5 of the nasty chemicals that nail polish can contain.

Wishes: I wish I had tried more Laquerlicious Polishes earlier!  I wish my laptop would except the spelling of "Laquerlicious!"  I just "taught" my laptop the spelling.  :)


Shiny Top Coat: Gem Glam Top Coat from www.dreampolish.com

Stay connected to Laquerlicious:
Store: www.laquerlicious.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/laquerlicious
Instagram: www.instagram.com/creativenailchick
Twitter: www.twitter.com/laquerlicious

Happy Polishing,
Kristi aka @BeginNails