31DC2016 Nail Art Challenge - Styles

Hello, Hello!  I'm still here!  I promise I haven't really disappeared.  As you may know I recently moved house, which meant a lot of nail free time for me.  I have managed to keep up with the 31 Day Challenge over on Instagram but sadly I haven't quite managed the time to do extra nails for my blog.  I am getting there slowly though so you'll just need to bare with me a little longer.   

While I have been having a little time off painting my nails I have been doing a little thinking about some blog posts I could do.  I am a huge fan of planning my blog posts in advance.  If I don't I just get completely lost and feel like I don't know what to do.  Or I have too many ideas and have no clue where to start.  Anyway, as much as I would love to only post new things all the time, I just don't think that my bank account could handle that.  Plus I have a HUGE collection of polishes and nail art things that I haven't even used before and ones that I would love to use again.  All that being said, I've decided that I am going to swatch my collection (both polishes and plates).  So brace yourself for a mix of old and new stuff!  If there are any older polishes (or stamping plates) you would like to see me swatch let me know and I'll see what I have. 

Right, now let's take a look at the manis I have done for the Styles part of the 31DC2016 challenge.  

Polka Dots

Stripes

Animal Print

Flowers

Delicate Print

Geometric

Glitter

Half Moons

Galaxies

Water Marble

I'm pretty happy with the manis I have done with this section.  It's the last part of the challenge that I always struggle the most with.  Fingers crossed I can make it through to the other side.

If you are interested in checking out the manis I did for this section in 2014 and 2015 you can see those manis here.

Powder Perfect Antique Princess Duo (Mei Mei Signatures Exclusives) - Swatches & Review

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Powder Perfect have recently added a few new exclusive polishes to Mei Mei Signatures store.  I just so happen to have the Antique Princess Duo to share with you today.  There is also an Anniversary Duo that is definitely worth checking out as well (I know I have my eyes on them) but let's just focus on the pretties I do already have shall we?  I'm like a child and get distracted by pretty shiny things easily. 

Contested Crown is a mauve purple holo with blue to purple shifting micro flakes.  I love this polish.  The colour is awesome and the formula is amazing.  Unfortunately when I swatched this polish the sun wasn't very strong so I couldn't capture the holo in this polish as well as I would have liked.  For my swatch I used two coats.

Picture taken in light box

Picture taken in light box with flash

Picture taken in overcast sunlight

Forgotten Princess has an olive green jelly base and is filled with gold to fuchsia flakies.  This polish is definitely really interesting.  The formula is great and easy to use.  For my swatch I used two coats.

Picture taken in light box

Picture taken outdoors (overcast)

Both of these shades are fantastic and worth grabbing if you can.  They are just so interesting.

The Antique Princess duo is exclusive to Mei Mei Signatures.  For Australian customers head over to Powder Perfect later tonight (8pm AEST) as they will be stocking some of these shades.  I believe there is only a limited amount so grab them quickly!

Lilypad Lacquer September 2016 New Releases (Part Three) - Swatches & Reviews

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I'm back with Part Three of the new releases from Lilypad Lacquer.  Now I can't remember if I have mentioned it or not (forgive my tired exhausted brain - it's been a long couple of weeks with moving) Lilypad Lacquer have released thirty new holographic polishes.  I do have all thirty to swatch, however I only have swatched fifteen so far.  Today's post is the last five polishes that I have swatched so this is be the last Lilypad Lacquer post for a little bit until I swatch the remaining polishes...and there are some gorgeous ones!

Like with the other two parts of this post all polishes have a great formula.  They are easy to use, build up nicely (they do vary from being two to three coats), and look gorgeous, especially in the sun.  All of my pictures are taken outdoors and in direct sunlight and all polishes are swatched without top coat.

Close Encounter is a red toned purple holographic.  Purple - check!  Looks amazing in the sun - check!  Fantastic formula - check!  Definitely is everything I could ask for in a holographic polish.  My swatch shows two coats.

Picture taken outdoors in shade

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Hardcore is copper tone orange holographic.  You can get away with two coats of this one, but there is a slight visible nail line.  I used three coats for my swatch.

Picture taken outdoors in shade

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Lollipop is a bright light pink holographic.  This one is probably the sheerest of this half of the new releases.  It does build up in three coats, but there is still a light visible nail line.  For me personally, I would probably wear this over a base colour next time.  The colour of this polish is beautiful.  My swatch shows three coats.

Picture taken outdoors in shade

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Star Struck is a violet toned navy blue.  The formula of this one is amazing!  You could easily get away with using one coat.  For my swatch I used two coats.

Picture taken outdoors in shade

Picture taken in direct sunlight

When Love Comes To Town is a bright red holographic. While I did use three coats for this polish, you could easily get away with two coats if you don't mind a very slight visible nail line.

Picture taken in overcast lighting

Picture taken in direct sunlight

There is definitely some amazing polishes in Lilypad Lacquer's new releases.  I would be surprised if there is anyone out there would could not find a colour they love.  My top picks from the polishes in this post are Close Encounter and Lollipop.  I'm going to guess that no one is surprised by that?  I'm such a sucker for pink and purple polishes.

In case you haven't seen the other polishes that have been released this month you can click the links below (I will update this post as well as the other posts when I have swatched and review the remaining polishes):

PART ONE

PART TWO

All of these five polishes are available from Lilypad Lacquer.

31DC2016 Nail Art Challenge - Colours

It's that time of year again where I am crazy enough to attempt to do the 31 Day Nail Art Challenge.  But didn't you attempt to do the weekly version of this challenge and fail?  Why yes, yes I did.  No idea why I struggled so much with doing this challenge as a weekly version but it just wasn't working for me.  I've managed to do the daily version of the last couple of years so I figured why not try again?  So far the challenge has been extremely challenging so far as I have moved house and am still trying to unpack and settle in.  As I right this post, my polishes and all nail art things are still boxed up.  Hopefully tomorrow I can start unpacking them.  If not, there will be a slight pause in this challenge but I am determined to complete it.  So let's take a look back at what manis I have done so far?  I'll also link my blog post that I did last year for these same themes.  In that post is also pictures of the 2014 manis.

Red

Orange

Yellow

Green

Blue

Violet

Black & White

Metallic

Rainbow

Gradient

If you are interested in seeing the manis I did for these themes in 2014 and 2015 you can find them here.

Are you joining in with this challenge?  If so, how are you going with it? 

Lilypad Lacquer September 2016 New Releases (Part Two) - Swatches & Reviews

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As promised I am back with another five new polishes that Lilypad Lacquer have just released.  Now like with Part One of these new releases all polishes are really easy to use and all are swatched without top coat.  All pictures are taken both in natural outdoor light as well as direct sunlight.  You can't have a holographic polish and not show all that holographic goodness can you?  Right let's jump into the swatches!

Arabica is a rich deep brown holographic.  Fan fact:  this was actually the first polish that I swatched from the new Lilypads.  This one does apply a little unevenly on the first coat but evens out perfectly on the second coat.  My swatch shows two coats.

Picture taken outdoors

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Mad Love is an orange toned red holographic.  Now tell me when you see the words Mad Love Taylor Swift's song Bad Blood doesn't start going off in your head?  Maybe that's just me (and yes I have it in my head as I write this lol).  Anyway this polish applies really evenly.  My swatch shows two coats.

Picture taken outdoors in shade

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Sea-quins is bright light blue holographic.  Such a gorgeous colour.  I used three coats for my swatch, however you can get away with two coats if you don't mind a very slight visible nail line.

Picture taken outdoors in shade

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Show Me The Money is a rich Kelly green holographic.  This one is easy to use and opaque in two coats.

Picture taken outdoors in shade

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Wicked Ways is a magenta toned purple holographic.  I love everything about this one.  For my swatch I used two coats.

Picture taken outdoors in shade

Picture taken in direct sunlight

Lilypad Lacquer really know how to do drool worthy holos that's for sure.  Hands down my favorite from these five polishes is Wicked Ways (what can I say I am a sucker for purple!) and Sea-quins.  Which one of these five shades is your favorite?

Part One can be seen here

Part Three can be seen here

 

All five of these shades are available now from Lilypad Lacquer.