Feather Nails

I've always loved the look of feather nails, but I just do not have the patience to freehand a feather, or, even moreso, use a real feather.  So, when I saw this design in my new SHANY plates, I knew I had to give it a try.  To complete this look, I...

1. Painted my nails a base color of Nails Inc Black Taxi.

2. Using China Glaze Adore, I stamped the plume design from SHANY plate SH24

3. Applied a coat of topcoat on my ring finger and applied 3 2mm light blue rhinestones to the design on my ring finger.

4. Sealed in the rhinestones and the stamped design on the rest of my fingers using Sally Hansen Insta-Dri.

I know I've said it a thousand times, but outside of the specific stamping polishes, the China Glaze Romantiques (like Adore) are absolutely perfect for stamping.  I don't think they are in China Glaze's regular line-up, but they still are available.  I got mine, years ago, from Victoria's Nail Supply, but you can find them all over the internet.  

Nails Inc Black Taxi was provided for review.  Other products within this post were purchased by me.  The included link is not an affiliate link.

KBShimmer Showgirl

Showgirl is one of 5 KBShimmer polishes I have to show you over the next few days.  I swatched all of them at once and then and picked my favorite to show you first...

Isn't she pretty?  This is 2 coats of Showgirl over one coat of Nails Inc Black Taxi.  I opted to layer all of my KBShimmer polishes, and I especially chose to layer this one because it's a black jelly base.  I had a feeling that the glitter wouldn't "come out and play" as much if I had to use multiple layers to reach opacity.

 Showgirl is a mix of holo silver square and round glitter, as well as fuchsia glitter and micro-glitter in a black jelly base.  She is unbelievable unique and I can't wait to wear it as a full manicure.  

Like I mentioned, this is one of 5 KBShimmer polishes that I purchased, and I have to say, I am very pleased with (most) them in terms of formula and application.  A lot of times, indie glitters have a tendency to want to stay in the bottle.  I can't tell you how many times I've had to dig for hearts, or stars, or moons, or whatever else big, chunky glitters in the bottle.  

With Showgirl, and most of the other KBShimmers I'm going to show you, the application was mindless.  I did have to hunt a little bit to get the square glitters, but I simply dipped the brush back in the bottle and there they were.  It wasn't a drawn out process.  In fact, the formula on these reminds me very much of the now-unavailable NerdLacquers (and that's saying something because my lone NerdLacquer has an amazing formula and it's one of my favorites to apply).

KBShimmer polishes are available at KBShimmer's website.  However, they only ship polish within the U.S.  If you are international, please visit their stockist, Harlow & Co.  Polishes sell for $8.50 from KBShimmer directly and $9.00 from Harlow & Co.

Showgirl was purchased by me.  The above links link to websites to purchase this polish and are not affiliate links.

Lush Lacquer Pink Panther

This is 2 coats of Lush Lacquer Pink Panther over 2 coats of Nails Inc Floral Street.  

Pink Panther consists of a mix of white, black, and pink multi-sized and multi-shaped, matte glitters in a clear base.  I love this when layered over the white base.  

The polish went on very well.  The glitter is very densely packed and this is one of those glitters that doesn't make you go fishing in the bottle!  See how dense it is...

Lush Lacquer has several polishes in their Etsy store (I'm eyeing Lite Brite).  Full bottles are $8.75 and you can order custom sets of minis for $9.50 and up.

Fair warning, these are essentially pre-orders.  Unlike a lot of other indie polish companies, Lush Lacquer keeps all of their polishes listed on their website at all times.  The downside of this is that you have to wait for your polishes (currently turn-around time is 2+ weeks).  The upside is that you don't have to wait for the seller to return from "on vacation" and you avoid the made "OMG it's open!" stampede.  Personally, I don't mind waiting on the polish if I know it's coming (I hate the mad Etsy or Big Cartel rushes).  I just wish that Lush Lacquer was a little more open about the fact that these are not in-stock at time of order.  I think they have done this recently, but when I ordered, I just assumed they were in-stock and then I got a little antsy after a week had passed.

Pink Panther was purchased by me.  The above link links to Lush Lacquer's Etsy store and is not an affiliate link. 

Nails Inc Black Taxi & Floral Street

Or as I should subtitle this post... "the perfect black and white creme polishes".

White and black polishes seem like something so simple.  They don't seem like something that it would take a person years to find the perfect one of each.  And yet, that's been an issue with me.  For me, a perfect white creme and a perfect black creme have been almost impossible to find.

That was until I received Nails Inc Black Taxi (black) and Nails Inc Floral Street (white).  As I have been showing them off under all sorts of polishes over the past few weeks, I figured I would show you them by themselves.  They really are perfect...

Black Taxi - highly-pigmented, rich black creme.  Like I mentioned above, finding one-coat black creme has been impossible for me.  I've tried several options and have been disappointed with each of them, in one way or another.  Black Taxi, however, is perfect.  The formula flows incredibly well and is completely opaque in one coat. 

Floral Street - white creme.  Like a black creme, a non-chalky, non-streaky white creme has been very hard for me to find.  My issue with whites is that it takes too long to reach opacity.  And while I have yet to find a one-coat white creme, Floral Street is opaque in 2 coats and it doesn't look like you are wearing Wite-Out on your nails.  Like Black Taxi, this one has a very nice formula and flows well on the nails. 

As I've mentioned about 50 times in this post (LOL) Black Taxi and Floral Street are pretty much my perfect black and white cremes.  My only issue with them is that they are a bit expensive at $9.50 for a 0.33 fl oz bottle.  That said, I will gladly pay it in the future, as they are fantastic for what they are.  You can find both of these polishes in the US at Sephora stores and at Sephora.com. 

Nails Inc Black Taxi and Floral Street were sent to me for review.  The above link links to these polishes on Sephora.com and is not an affiliate link.

Nails Inc Soho Square

I'll admit it... I never was a fan of the most recent "crackle" fad.  And I think that's mostly because I'm not good at using crackle polish.  There's a certain amount of skill that comes with using those polishes, a skill that I was never able to master.  So, I gave up trying at some point last year (I think after OPI released the blue shatters) and just resigned myself to never being able to properly use crackle polish.

That's why my heart sank a little bit when I saw a green Neon Crackle polish, Soho Square, in my recent review package from Nails Inc.  I put it off and put it off until I finally just decided to give it a chance...

This is 2 coats of Soho Street (allowed to dry in-between) over 2 coats of Nails Inc Floral Street topped with one coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri topcoat.

For all my trepidation, I actually found myself pleasantly surprised with this polish.  For me, my biggest issue with crackles is getting the right amount of the brush to make it "crack" without looking too thin on the nail, and this one had the perfect consistency for a crackle polish.  It was thin, but that also allowed me to layer the crackles (making to sure to let them dry between coats).  I used Nails Inc Floral Street, a white creme as a base, but I also put a coat of Insta-Dri between the base and the crackle, which reacted with the base color and turned it yellow.  Ah chemistry.  LOL. 

And as scary as crackles are to me, I actually see myself using this one in the future.  I think it would look cute over a neon pink (like Orly Beach Cruiser).

Soho Square is one of 3 Neon Crackle Effect Polishes released by Nails Inc.  The other 2 are Kings Cross, a neon coral, and Camden Town, a neon pink.  You can find all 3 neon crackles at Sephora.com.  Price is $9.50 for a 0.33 fl oz bottle.

Nails Inc Soho Square was provided to me for review my Nails Inc's PR.  The above link links to this product on Sephora.com and is not an affiliate link.  

Deborah Lippmann Dream a Little Dream of Me

So, I have become a little addicted to Deborah Lippmann's polishes.  It seems like as soon as I say I'm done, HSN will have a fabulous deal to which that I just can't say no.  My most recent purchase from HSN included the Run the World (Girls) neon box set (review coming soon), as well as a duo of Don't Tell Mama and Dream a Little Dream of Me.  

Honestly, I wasn't going to get the duo.  Yes, it was clearanced out for less than $10, but it also only had one color I thought I would like, and that color was Don't Tell Mama.  In the end, I decided to get it for Don't Tell Mama, and I, pretty much, thought of Dream a Little Dream of Me as a throw-away color.  And once I got it home, my opinion was, unfortunately, not changed...

It's a sheer candy pink with blue, iridescent micro-shimmer.  I really did not like this polish alone on my nails.  The color didn't work with my skin, and for a pink polish, I have no idea how it made my nails appear yellow.  The above picture is 3 coats and I am nowhere near opacity.  So, I was all set to chuck it in my reject box when I decided to layer it over black.  This is what I discovered...

The above 2 pictures show 2 coats of Dream a Little Dream of Me over 2 coats of Nails Inc Black Taxi.

Isn't it amazing?  It doesn't even look like the same polish.  Layering it over a dark base color, completely turns this one from a "no" to a resounding "YES".  The dark base essentially makes the sheer pink base color go away and you are left with the amazing blue shimmer.  This really reminds me of the long-discontinued China Glaze Blk Bila Bong or maybe even Chanel Nuit de Russie.  

I think this would look fantastic layered over other dark bases as well.  I can't wait to try it over a navy blue or a deep, vampy purple. 

Deborah Lippmann Dream a Little Dream of Me can be found at various online stores including HSN.com (where I purchased mine).  I got mine in a clearance duo, which is sadly out of stock now, but HSN still carries this polish as a single.  Dream a Little Dream of Me retails for $16 a bottle.

Deborah Lippmann Dream a Little Dream of Me was purchased by me.  The above link links to this product at HSN.com and is not an affiliate link.  

Comparision - Deborah Lippmann Private Dancer vs. Nails Inc Cheyne Walk

In my Nails Inc Cheyne Walk post, I had a comment by Mel, Glassflecked asking if it was similar to Deborah Lippmann's new purple chrome, Private Dancer.  As I had both, I figured I'd do a quick comparison...

When I saw them in the bottle, I thought they would be more different than they actually are.

On the nail, these are very similar, with Private Dancer being a little more reflective (it has more of a chrome finish that Cheyne Walk).  It also is a little brighter and it seems that Cheyne Walk has more red in the base.  Cheyne Walk also has more shimmer particles.  

All of that said, my husband couldn't tell these apart.  He stared at them for 2 minutes and couldn't say how they were different.  So, for those people that aren't "nail polish people" these probably could pass for dupes.  The formula on both was very similar, as it took 3 coats to reach opacity on both.  

Personally, I think they are very close, and unless you just have the need for both, I would say you would be okay with one or the other.  Nails Inc Cheyne Walk retails for $9.50 a bottle and Deborah Lippmann Private Dancer is $18.  The Lippmann is almost twice as much, but the Nails Inc is a 0.33 oz bottle and the Lippmann is 0.50 fl oz.  

Nails Inc Cheyne Walk

Nails Inc has recently come out with a line of "mirrored metallics", a set of 4 nail polishes designed with a "highly reflective mirrored metallic finish".  Today, I have for you one of the 4 polishes, Cheyne Walk...

Cheyne Walk is a medium-toned purple metallic with a slight green duochrome shift.  The duochrome was much more pronounced in the bottle, unfortunately.  The above 2 pictures show 3 coats of Cheyne Walk worn alone, and while I love the color, I found it to be a little on the sheer side to wear by itself. I much preferred it layered over black...

These pictures show 2 coats of Cheyne Walk layered over 2 coats of Nails Inc Black Taxi.  Layering it over black gives it an amount of depth that just couldn't be reached alone.  I also was able to get the duochrome to come out and play a little better when it was layered (see my ring finger in the second picture).  

Layered or not, however, I didn't really see the mirror finish.  It's highly metallic, but, in my opinion, it's not exactly a mirror finish (though that is something that is almost impossible to achieve with polish alone).  That said, it's a beautiful polish with my favorite part being the micro-shimmer.  

Nails Inc Cheyne Walk is available at Sephora.com.  Price is $9.50 per 0.33 fl oz bottle.  There are 4 polishes in this small collection, though only 2, Cheyne Walk and Stratford are currently in stock.  

Nails Inc Cheyne Walk was sent to me for review by Nails Inc's PR.  The above link links to this product at Sephora.com and is not an affiliate links.