January Mani of the Month Box Swatch and Review

Greetings and Nailutations,

Today I have the January Mani Of The Month box which feature products from Heather's Hues, Dream Polish and Nails Redesigned.  Each box features a full size polish, a mini glitter topper and assorted extra glitter from Heather's Hues, a base coat, top coat in mini size and a nail care item from Dream Polish and an assortment of nail vinyl decals and Swarovski crystals from Nails Redesigned.

Now let's get to some swatches!

First up is Let It Snow, a soft teal holographic polish.  This polish went on smooth and only required 1 coat for total opacity.  Photos show 1 coats with Gem Glam Top Coat from Dream Polish in filtered light (1st photo) and simulated sunlight (2nd and 3rd photos).

The second mani is using Snowball Fight from Heather's Hues, a fun glitter topper.  Snowball Fight contains white matte circles in two sizes, silver flakes and hexes and purple and blue iridescent flakes and white matte squares.  It reminds me of a snow flurry!  I also used the wave vinyls which were provided by Nails Redesigned in this mani to create the design.  Other polishes are Jenna Hipp's I Cast A Spell on Blue (navy) and Innocence from Pure Nail Lacquer.  Photo shows 1 coat of Snowball Fight over the design topped with Gem Glam Top Coat from Dream Polish.

The last mani I have to share is nail art using 2 additional products Nails Resdesigned provided.  Snowflake vinyls which can be used as both decals or stencils and some Swarovski crystals.  I used the snowflake vinyls as stencils and Virtuous Polish Purity for the white.  Nails Redesigned also included some royal blue crystal which are slightly larger than the crystals pictured.

In the box there is also a trio of minis from Dream Polish.  Gem Glam Top Coat, Gem Glam Base Coat and a cuticle oil in the scent of Cocoa Mint.  This scent is amazing.  It makes me feel warm and cozy like drinking a cup of hot cocoa with some mint schnapps....or a candy cane stirred in if you prefer.

Loves:  So happy with this box and excited to see what February looks like!  Full size polish, mini glitter topper, a mini base and top coat nail decals/vinyls AND crystals??  All for ~$33!  Yes please.  When I travel, I love to have minis, so they are great to have on hand.  I also like that I can try out new scents from Dream Polish.  I love the fun designs and manis you can create with this box!  The combinations are limitless!

Wishes:  Fun, cute adorable products and packaging, wouldn't change a thing!

You can order the Mani Of The Month Box from any of the 3 brands above!

Happy Polishing,
Kristi aka @BeginNails

Daily Hues Nail Lacquer Kristi Swatch and Review and Giveaway

Greetings and Nailutation,

Today I am sharing a polish that is super special to me.  This polish is from Daily Hues Nail Lacquer and her newest collection contains 4 collaboration lacquers with bloggers she works with.  So let me introduce you to Kristi, named after yours truly!

Let's get to some swatches!

When Jenn from Daily Hues Nail Lacquer asked me what I wanted for my own polish, I asked her to duplicate her holiday polishes (Eve and Noelle), a gold and silver glitter bomb but make Kristi a black holographic glitter bomb.  It was super easy to work with Jenn and she kept me up to date on the status and checked in with me every so often.  When Kristi arrived, I was so happy and pleased with the result.

So, meet Kristi, she is a black holographic glitter bomb in a clear base.  Formula is perfect and I placed two coats over a black undie and a shiny top coat.  I also swatched it on it's own and it required 3 thin coats for total opacity.

I also did some nail art with it over a base of Pure Nail Polish Innocence and Love Angeline tribal vinyls and topped with shiny top coat.

Kristi, along with 3 other blogger collaborations are available now!  They will be $8.50 and are available online (store link below).

GIVEAWAY will be on my instagram account!  Check #BNDHKristiGiveawayrules for the rules (which should be live January 13th!)

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

Loves: easy to work with, great result, wonderful formula!

Wishes: I now wish I had my hands on the rest of the blogger collection!  WOW, there is a purple that makes me weak in the knees!

Stay connected:
Store:  http://dailyhuesnaillacquer.storenvy.com
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/dailyhuesnaillacquer
Instagram: @dailyhuesnaillacquer

Happy Polishing,
Kristi

January 2015 A Box, Indied Swatch and Review

Greetings and Nailutations,

Today I have the January exclusive polishes from Llarowe's A Box, Indied.  As previously mentioned, Llarowe in an online indie stockist which has a monthly subscription box.  This month's theme was "New Debts, New Diets, NEW POLISH."  There are still boxes available if you decided that these 5 lacquers are for you!

Now let's get to some swatches.

First is Black Cat Lacquer's glitter jelly called Dance All Night.  Dance All Night is a black jelly that contains rainbow holographic dust, hexes in a few sizes and colors as well as crescents and stars.  This polish is fun and perfect for a night out on the town!  Formula was nice and no glitter fishing!  Photos show 2 coats with shiny top coat (1st and 2nd photos) and matte top coat (3rd and 4th photos).

Next is a holo called Out With The Old, In With The Blue from Different Dimension.  This holo is a very pale green/blue.  I love this polish because it is a holo in a shade I don't have!  Photos show 2 coats with shiny top coat.

Pop, Fizz, Clink! from Hare Polish is another polish included in the January Box.  It is a dark magenta-purple glitter jelly that contains gold and silver hexes, circles and little stars.  Easy formula to work with.  Photos show 2 coats with shiny top coat (1st and 2nd photos) and matte top coat (3rd and 4th photos).

Crows Toes contribution to the box is a gold and silver glitter topper that contains hexes in a few sizes and is called Overtime till Spring.  This polish is versatile and will look great over any color.  Photos show 2 coats over Lavish Polish Lovely and shiny top coat.

The last polish in the box is from Pahlish and is called Brand New Baubles.  Brand New Baubles is a navy blue base with teal, purple and gold flakes.  Oh my word, this polish is absolutely gorgeous.  Photos show 2 coats with shiny top coat (1st and 2nd photos) and matte top coat (3rd photo).

Shiny Top Coat: Gem Glam Top Coat from www.dreampolish.com
Matte Top Coat: O.P.I. Top Coat

Loves:  Formula on all 5 were great!  Colors were all fun and I'm a huge fan of polishes that look amazing shiny and matte and this box had 3!  If I had to select a favorite....eek, I'm not sure I could!  The holo is a shade that I don't have, the flakies are amazing, the black glitter topper is so fun....I could keep going!  This box was pure perfection!

Wishes:  I wish every box was like January's!

Which is your favorite?

Happy Polishing,
Kristi aka @BeginNails

The Little Lacquer Bean Holiday Collection Swatch and Review

Greetings and Nailutations,

During Black Friday, my goal was to buy from a few new indies that I hadn't tried yet and The Little Lacquer Bean was on my list.  She had an amazing sale, so I snatched up part of her Holiday Collection.

Now let's get to some swatches!

First up is Sexy Red Suit, a pinky red jelly with rainbow glitter dust and red hexes in a few sizes.  This one surprised me since I expected red, instead of a pinky tint, but it was good surprise and allows the polish to be worn outside the holiday season.  Formula was easy to work with and applied nicely.  Photos show 2 coats with shiny top coat.

Next is Frosty Balls, which has the best name ever!  I had to have it just for the name.  Frosty Balls is a silver holographic polish with green, red, blue, purple, gold and silver hex and square glitter.  This polish was a little on the sheer side, so photos show 3 coats to get total opacity with shiny top coat.

Mistletoe Mania is a green glitter jelly that contains green hexes in a few sizes and green triangles of course!  Mistletoe Mania is quite sheer so 3 coats were needed for total opacity.  Photos show 3 coats with shiny top coat.

Faded Xmas is the fun thermal!  It is a holographic polish that is darker olive when cold and a dark purple to light purple/pink when warm.  It was nice to see 3 distinct colors.  This polish reminded me of old antique photos.  Photos show 2 coats with shiny top coat.

The last polish I have to share is from buying on Black Friday, it is called Black Friday 2014!  It is a black holographic polish.  It's stunning!  Photos show 2 coats with shiny top coat.

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

Loves:  I was excited to try this new indie brand, because I had heard nothing but good things about it.  I loved the formula and the fun collection for the holiday.  My favorite thing about The Little Lacquer Bean Polishes though....the brush.  I have super teeny nails, so this brush gave me so much control that there was minimal clean up necessary!  The brush is on the small side and worked perfect for me.

Wishes:  I wish I would have tried The Little Lacquer Bean earlier!  Don't worry, I have more of her polishes to blog about as well!!

Stay Connected:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelittlelacquerbean
Store: http://thelittlelacquerbean.storenvy.com
Instagram: @thelittlelacquerbean

3 Empties: Dream Polish Top Coat, Younique Facial Cleanser and Fortune Cookie Soap Shower Steamer

Greetings and Nailutations,

It's another installment of 3 empties, where I review 3 products I have used up and express my opinion on how well they worked, how well they smelled, their packaging and if I'd make a repeat purchase.

First product is my trusty Gem Glam Top Coat from Dream Polish in the scent of Summer Melon.  If you follow me on instagram, you'll know that most of my manis are topped with Gem Glam Top Coat.  Out of all the scents that Vanessa offers, this has been one of my favorites (although I haven't tried Strawberry Champagne or Candy Cane yet).  For me, Gem Glam Top Coat dries quickly and provide coverage and protection for the underlying polish.

Smell Test: YUM!  I wish it was summer all year, so this scent was obtainable.
Feel Test: super shiny and long lasting
Packaging Test: one of my favorite things about Gem Glam Top Coat is the wide brush, allows me to quickly add a top coat
Buy Again: of course, I am currently stocked up with a few in my drawer of top coats!

Next was part of my first order from Fortune Cookie Soap.  I ordered the soap box and received a Steam Me Up Scotty shower steam fizzy in the scent of "I Pledge Allegiance, Amen!"  All the products in the collection are inspired by the movie National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.  This was my first experience with a shower fizzy and I really enjoyed it.  It adds an aromatherapeutic experience that is a little different than a regular shower.  I could smell mint and some herbs I couldn't place, and reminded me of fresh clean snow scent.  I am excited to try other products from Fortune Cookie Soap.

Smell Test: mint, freshness, snow, herbs, I really like the smell as it was clean
Feel or Look Test:  It was the perfect size, as it lasted about 15 minutes when it was out of the full blast of the water from the shower head.
Packaging:  it comes in a little block and foil, easy to access and use.
Buy Again:  YES!  I am excited to try more of these products of shower fizzies and also other products in this box.

*Photo courtesy of Fortune Cookie Soap

The last product is a facial cleanser that I have fallen in love with.  It is called Awake by Younique.  I loved it so much I thought I bought a second, but I bought a different cleanser made by Younique and my face has been in revolt!  Awake contains Garden Chrysanthemum, Aloe Vera and Licorice Root.  It threw me off at first because it is a dark grey color.

Smell Test: I really like the smell, it's not too flowery, and smells earthy like natural ingredients.  

Feel or Look Test: The color did take some getting used to, but my face responded positively to this product.

Packaging: Easy to screw off/on cap.  The only thing I didn't like is that it's a little thin, so it falls over easily if you aren't careful and it's even worse on the new product that replaced Awake.

Buy Again: Sadly NO.  Younique has changed it's product line and this product doesn't exist anymore.  Now I am on the look out for a new facial cleanser.

Have you tried any of these products?  Did you have similar or different experiences than I did?

Happy Polishing,
Kristi aka @BeginNails