FOREWORD :
Hi there, my darlings!!! It's finally TIME!!! We've all been SO excited about the coming blogaversary and the giveaway I've put together that I don't even know where the month of January went! Much like this entire year! I cannot BELIEVE it's already been a year since I started my blogging adventures with that very first blurry picture with no clean up to speak of! Since then, I've had the infinite pleasure and honor of working with and getting to know some of the most talented indie makers in the industry and this giveaway includes ALL of my favorite people! Believe me, when I say, I have cherry-picked these makers and I love each and every one of them, not only as a brand, but as people!

I decided to do things a little differently this time and showcase each maker on a separate day--every one of them deserves their time in the spotlight! So, each day in February and into the first week of March, we will have ONE giveaway, featuring one maker and her brand! Each will last 48 hours ONLY and all entries must be submitted within those 48 hours to register! After the giveaway ends, winners will be emailed and will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is picked. Each maker will send prizes to their winners directly! Some of the giveaways are OPEN INTERNATIONALLY, while other are US ONLY. Please maker sure to CAREFULLY read the Terms and Conditions to avoid being disqualified!


Day 1 : Let's get things started off with a BANG! When I first started my love affair with holos, there weren't that many around--sure, one could spend an exorbitant amount of money on OPI DS polishes on the secondary market or try to find a willing swap friend in Brazil (which I do have, hey Carolina! <3). But, by and large, there weren't that many and the color options were limited. Then one day, a girl in one of my Facebook groups mentioned coming across NailNation...and let's just say, a need was met and a constant want was created. Lol! Maria makes a absolute rainbow of holographic polishes in a range of finishes and intensities.  And since we go back so far, the lovely Maria has graciously created an absolutely STUNNING magenta custom holo for the giveaway! Although a very few bottles of this beauty is available for purchase in her store, this is a true limited edition and created solely for this giveaway! 3 lucky winners will have a chance to own one of their very own!

***THIS IS OPEN INTERNATIONALLY***




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck, my darlings!!!

<3
B
Hi there!! I hope you're still with me!! Because as promised, I have the second part of my Philly Loves Lacquer Fancy Winter Wench collection for you. This part will showcase the polishes named after groups in the Wench brigade. If you're curious about the names of these polishes and the inspiration behind them, don't forget to read the first part of my review HERE.

This second post will show you swatches of four polishes-- The Pirates, Clevemore, Cara Liom and Froggy Car. On to swatches we go!

First, I have for you The Pirates--a deep charcoal black scattered holographic polish with added rainbow microglitters. I had no issues with application or formula and the swatches below show 2 coats, topped with one thin coat of G&G's HK Girl to finish the look. So appropriately named!






With flash!






Next, I have for you Clevemore--a vampy maroon red scattered holographic polish. Again, I was quite impressed with both application and formula--so smooth and easy. The swatches below show 2 coats, topped with one thin coat of G&G's HK Girl to finish the look. With my penchant for reds, it's no surprise that I loved this one!






With flash!






The third polish in this set is my personal favorite, Cara Liom--a gorgeous periwinkle blue holographic polish. Great formula and application on this one, no streaking or dragging at all to speak of. The swatches below show 3 easy coats by itself. Such a gorgeous shade of blue! Totally in love!






With flash!






Last but definitely not the least, I have for you Froggy Car--a bright grass green jelly polish packed with gold microglitter and flakies. No complaints with formula or application and the swatches below show 3 generous coats, topped with one generous coat of G&G's HK Girl. Now jellies are usually formulated so that some visible nail line is to be expected, but I found that 3 generous coats of Froggy Car took care of that issue. In a winter collection full of neutrals and vampy shades, a green this bright serves to remind you that Spring is just around the corner! YAY!








So, there you have it my darlings!! The second part of my Philly Loves Lacquer review of her Fancy Winter Wench collection! You can find these and many other gorgeous polishes at Philly Loves Lacquer's site HERE for the price of $12.00 for a full-size, 0.5 oz bottle!

Which of these polishes is YOUR favorite? I always love to hear from you in the comments section below!


Until next time,
<3
B


****Products were sent to me for an honest, unbiased review. All opinions are my own.****

Hi my darlings!! For those who have been with me for awhile, you know that nothing gives me greater pleasure than discovering new indie brands and/or reviewing brands that are new to me! So it's with great pleasure that I present today's review of an indie brand that is completely new to me! Until this review, I didn't own a single polish from this brand and, going by this collection alone, it sure looks like I've been missing out! Without further ado, I present to you, Philly Loves Lacquer and her newest collection, the Fancy Winter Wench collection!

The maker, Esther and I were formally introduced to each other when she graciously contacted me when I sent out a call for makers who wanted to join in my upcoming first blogaversary giveaway. As we discussed details about the giveaway, we realized that I had never reviewed for her and Esther was kind enough to send me the entire new collection in order to remedy just that! And I'm SO glad she did!

The Fancy Winter Wench collection consists of 8 gorgeous polishes--one glitter topcoat, 3 scattered holographic with shimmer/added microglitter and 4 holographic polishes. Each of these polishes was named after a group in either the Fancy Brigade or the Wench Brigade in the Philadelphia Mummers' Brigade. Now, when I read this description in my blogger email, I was totally stumped! I had no idea what or who the Mummers' were! Well, after following the link kindly provided and doing a little reading up, I've discovered that the Mummers' are "costumed entertainers that welcome in the New Year". If you, like me, would like more information, you can find it on the Mummers' site HERE.

The first part of my review deals then with the polishes named after the groups in the Fancy Brigade--Avenuers, Golden Crown, Saturnalian and Shooting Stars. The second part of my review will present to you polishes named after groups in the Wench Brigade. So, ready for swatches? =)

First up, I have for you Avenuers--a slate gray creme-based polish with the lightest smattering of holographic and rainbow microglitter. Both the application and formula on this was fabulous--smooth and easy. The swatches below show 2 coats, topped with one thin coat of G&G's HK Girl to finish the look. If you're looking for a beautiful gray, like I was, look no further! This one is perfect!






Next, I have for you Golden Crown--an ivory white cream with light scattered holograhic finish and intense gold shimmer. I did find this polish a little on the thicker side and it tended to apply a little bit patchy on me so I recommend using generous coats and waiting til each coat dries completely before applying the next one. The effect will be well worth it! The swatches below show 3 coats, topped with one generous coat of G&G's HK Girl to finish the look. Look at that gorgeous shimmer!







The third polish in this set is Saturnalian--a rich indigo blue scattered holographic polish. Great formula and application on this one, no streaking or dragging that can be the bane of holos. The swatches below show 2 coats by itself. I absolutely loved the richness and depth of this polish! And since my mother's favorite planet is Saturn, I bet she would love it too!






With flash!






Last but definitely not the least, I have for you Shooting Stars--a clear topcoat packed full of silver glitters in various shapes and sizes, including medium silver circles and added silver microglitter. No complaints with either formula or application and the glitters came out with nothing but a little swirling of the brush in the polish. The swatches below show 1 thin coat, over 2 coats of Saturnalian, topped with one generous coat of G&G's HK Girl to bring it all together. Isn't this just gorgeous? Reminds me of a clear night's sky!








So, there you have it my darlings!! My very first review of Philly Loves Lacquer! You can find these and many other gorgeous polishes at Philly Loves Lacquer's site HERE for the price of $12.00 for a full-size, 0.5 oz bottle!

Which of these polishes is YOUR favorite? I always love to hear from you in the comments section below!

Stay tuned for 4 more beautiful polishes from this collection in the second part of my review!

Until next time,
<3
B


****Products were sent to me for an honest, unbiased review. All opinions are my own.****
Hi, my darlings! I have a new collection to show you today from Glitterfied Nails! If you haven't heard of yet, you can check out the pretty polishes created by Andrea of Glitterfied Nails on her Etsy shop HERE! Today, I'll be showcasing her latest collection, Winter 2013 as well as a few of her latest creations! The Winter collection consists of 3 polishes--Figgy Pudding, Hot Cocoa and Sugarplum. I also have the Gold set of polishes to show you as well as one of her Winter neutrals. Read on and keep scrolling to see what combinations I created with them!

First up, I have for you the first polish from her Winter 2013 collection, Figgy Pudding--a shimmery bronze with plum undertones.  Application and formula were both pretty good and this polish dries to an almost chrome-like finish. The swatches below show 3 coats,  topped with one coat of G&G's HK Girl. The hidden shimmer in this is SO pretty!






With flash!






Next, I have the second polish from the Winter 2013 collection, Sugarplum--a clear topcoat full of baby pink, iridescent and purple holographic glitters in various shapes and sizes . The application on this polish was great--even the larger hexes came out fairly easily. I used 2 generous coats over 3 coats of Figgy Pudding shown above, topped with one coat of G&G's HK Girl to finish the look!








With flash!








The third polish to round out this collection is Hot Cocoa--a clear topcoat full of bronze, brown and holographic white hexes and squares plus added microglitter . Again, no issues with the formula or application and the swatches below show 2 generous coats over 3 coats of Liquid Gold (shown immediately afterwards), topped with 2 coats of G&G's HK Girl to bring it all together!






With flash!








Next up, I have for you Liquid Gold, from the Gold Set--a rich gold that dries to a metallic, chrome-like finish. . The application on this polish was lovely-smooth and even. I used 3 smooth coats for the swatches below, topped with one coat of G&G's HK Girl to finish the look! This polish is gorgeous in any light!






With flash!






The second polish from the Gold Set is Golden Star--a clear topcoat full of gold holographic glitter accented with a touch of white and iridiscent glitters. Again, no issues with the formula or application and the swatches below show 2 generous coats over 3 coats of Butter London Come To Bed Red, topped with 1 smooth coat of G&G's HK Girl to finish the look! This is such a festive look!






With flash!








Last but not the least, I have for you one of her Winter Neutrals, Silver Bells--a shimmery silver polish with green and red microglitter. The application and formula on this polish was fantastic. I used 3 smooth coats for the swatches below, topped with one coat of G&G's HK Girl to finish the look!






With flash!






So there you have it, my darlings! The latest creations from Glitterfied Nails, which you can find HERE for the price of $8.75 for a full-size, 0.5 oz bottle!

As always, your feedback is welcome and appreciated--please feel free to leave me questions, thoughts or suggestions in the comments section below!

Until next time,
<3
B


****Products were sent to me for an honest, unbiased review. All opinions are my own.****
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