Cupcake Polish Modern Vampire Collection

StarlightOnMyMind9 Comments

*Purchased by Me*

cupcake-polish-modern-vampire-collection

Alright, I’m sick of the humidity so I thought it was time to pull out some fall colors in the hopes it will make some of the humidity go away. It’s been close to and over 90% humidity here but it hasn’t been warm enough to turn on the air conditioner. The entire house has been so damp and sticky. It’s been fantastic for my skin and nails, not so much for my furniture and hardwood floors. It’s also going to get hot again this weekend. We’re getting close to the super dry time of year though so in a month I will probably be complaining about how dry the air is.

For today’s post I have Cupcake Polish’s Modern Vampire collection. I purchased this awhile ago but saved it for the fall months so it’s been sitting in my helmer, waiting for me to play with it. The Modern Vampire collection released in fall 2015 so this isn’t a new collection from Cupcake Polish. The good news is it’s still currently available for purchase.

I’m a big fan of vampires, especially the classic, non Twilight, variety. Think more Bram Stoker’s Dracula or Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. These are the perfect vampire shades.

cupcake-polish-down-for-the-count-macrocupcake-polish-down-for-the-count

Down for the Count

I’m not always the biggest fan of gold polishes. It has to be the right shade of gold. Down for the Count is a yellow leaning gold, but it leans more towards buttercup yellow gold. It’s really the best way I can describe this color. It’s a very creamy yellow gold. It’s not as saturated of a yellow as Cupcake Polish’s Don’t Worry Bee Happy. It leans more taupe and golden than yellow.

I was able to get Down for the Count to be fully opaque in three coats. If you do thicker coats you can easily get it opaque in two coats.

cupcake-polish-coffin-break-macrocupcake-polish-coffin-break

Coffin Break

Coffin Break is a gorgeous espresso brown polish that has a rich brown inner glow. In some lighting Coffin Break will look black but in bright light that inner glow comes out. There is a very slight silver cast to Coffin Break due to the holographic pigment but it is still, very obviously, dark brown. I love this color because it reminds me of some of my favorite fall coffee beverages.

Coffin Break is almost a one coat polish but is fully opaque in two coats. I don’t think Coffin Break is close enough to call it a one coat wonder but you shouldn’t need more than two coats.

cupcake-polish-bat-chelor-pad-macrocupcake-polish-bat-chelor-pad

Bat-Chelor Pad

Some will say Bat-Chelor Pad is a navy holographic but, for me personally, I don’t think it’s quite dark enough to be a true navy blue. To me, this is a true Prussian blue color holographic. It’s one of my favorites from this collection because it just glows on the nail.

Bat-Chelor Pad is a two coat polish. Like all the others I had zero issues with application. If you have really porous nails you will want to be careful of possible staining. I had minimal staining of the skin around my nails but it removed easily. I just wanted to give a heads up. However, this isn’t too unusual for dark blues. Just take your usual precautions and you should be fine.

cupcake-polish-re-vamped-macrocupcake-polish-re-vamped

Re-Vamped

Re-Vamped is a deep, green leaning, teal polish. If you had to ask me I would say Re-Vamped is more green than teal, but still has enough blue in it to not be a true green. The holographic effect was really strong with this one and it’s a really beautiful polish. I really like the color of Re-Vamped because it’s nice finding these green leaning teals in holographic form.

This is another easy two coat polish. Like with Bat-Chelor Pad you’ll want to take care with removal if your nails stain easily but you should have no issues if you take the usual stain prevention precautions.

cupcake-polish-blood-hound-macrocupcake-polish-blood-hound

Blood Hound

Blood Hound is a deep Oxblood red that will look more purple, brown, or red depending on your lighting and your individual skin tones. Blood Hound looks very red and purple next to Coffin Break so they are quite different. Blood Hound has that wonderful inner glow. It has a holographic effect similar to cupcake Polish’s Berry Good Looking. It’s not super strong but has that fantastic blue and amber flash to it. Yet another easy two coat polish.

Overall Impression

If you love vampy holographics you will want to grab this collection if you haven’t already. I really enjoyed the color palette of this collection and found it to be very cohesive and fit with the theme.

It’s really hard for me to pick a favorite because all the vampy shades are my favorites. I definitely recommend Blood Hound, Coffin Break, and Bat-Chelor Pad. Re-Vamped is also gorgeous too. The color reminds me a lot of Zoya’s Giovanna which is one of my favorite green polishes.

I’m excited to see what Cupcake Polish does for their fall collection this year. Which colors did you like from the Modern Vampire collection? What colors are you hoping for in future fall collections?

___________________

Be more social with me!

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/starlightonmymind

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starlightonmymind

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RockStarYogini

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/StarlightOMM/starlight-on-my-mind/

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC45g4-32ab-BdE07v79n-1Q

Email: starlightonmymind@gmail.com

Vapid Lacquer Summer Shenanigans Trio

StarlightOnMyMind8 Comments

*Purchased by Me*

Even though fall collection releases are in full swing I’m just not ready for fall colors yet. Maybe September and October are the hottest months of the year here and there aren’t any leaves changing colors or falling from the trees. Fall doesn’t really register here until we get much closer to Halloween.

vapid-lacquer-summer-shenanigans-trio

That’s why I was happy to see the release of Vapid Lacquer’s Summer Shenanigans trio. The trio consists of three bright, non neon, shimmers. I you haven’t experienced Vapid Lacquers shimmers you are really missing out. This trio is no exception.

vapid-lacquer-fish-out-of-water-macrovapid_lacquer_fish_out_of_watervapid-lacquer-fish-out-of-water

Fish Out of Water

I’m a sucker for bright aqua anytime of the year. Add a gorgeous shimmer that shifts from gold to pink and I’m sold. Like all of the Vapid Lacquer shimmers I have tried Fish Out of Water has a smooth, easy to use, formula that built to full opacity in two to three coats depending on application.

For those wondering how Fish Out of Water compares to ILNP’s Valentina, they are pretty different. The base aqua color of Fish Out of Water is much more saturated and Valentina has a brighter pink shimmer with no color shift.

vapid-lacquer-use-your-noodle-macrovapid_lacquer_use_your_noodlevapid-lacquer-use-your-noodle

Use Your Noodle

Every time I see the name for this polish I keep thinking of those foam pool noodles and I imagine Obi-wan Kenobi’s voice in my head saying “Use The Noodle, Hope!” I know it’s referring to using your brain, but I can’t get the pool noodle/lightsaber image out of my head, erm noodle.

This is probably in my top three favorite orange polishes ever. I’m not even kidding. The base color is the perfect shade of bright tangerine with this chunkier gold shimmer in it that really makes it glow on the nail. Oh, yes, speaking of glowing, this color also glows in UV light. I checked with my Tenth Doctor Sonic Screwdriver and it really does glow. I’m sorry, I can’t turn the neridness off. Again, really great formula that was opaque in two to three coats.

vapid-lacquer-round-n-round-macrovapid_lacquer_round_n_roundvapid-lacquer-round-n-round

Round N’ Round

Okay, so the visible nail line showing in my photos is totally on me. I got distracted while applying this polish and forgot to do a third coat on my last two fingers. This polish is most definitely opaque in two to three coats which you can see on two of my nails. I do thin coats so I think for those of you who do thicker coats you may be able to get this opaque in two coats. This color is a bright warm purple/magenta with a coppery shimmer. There’s just something that makes my heart go pitter patter about the combination of purple shades and coppers.

Overall Impression

I believe this was a pretty limited release. As of the time of this posting the full set of three is no longer available but the individual polishes appear to still be available. As I said, Vapid Lacquer does some of my favorite shimmers and I was happy to see that there were still some brighter color choices. I think this trio is very much worth having if you enjoy shimmer polishes or want something different. I have a lot of shimmer polishes but nothing like these three.

You can purchase the Summer Shenanigans trio polishes from the Vapid Lacquer website. I’m really excited to use these with nail art. I usually start getting into the vampy fall shades in October but I’m having fun with these in the meantime. Which of the three is your favorite?

___________________

Be more social with me!

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/starlightonmymind

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starlightonmymind

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RockStarYogini

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/StarlightOMM/starlight-on-my-mind/

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC45g4-32ab-BdE07v79n-1Q

Email: starlightonmymind@gmail.com

Costume Design Nails Satine’s Black Diamonds Costume from Moulin Rouge

StarlightOnMyMind12 Comments

As much as I adore this segment of my blog I am quickly discovering that some costumes will be very easy to recreate as nail art while others are going to be very difficult. In hindsight I realized the costume I picked for today would have been better suited after I learned how to freehand paint on nails a bit better. However, there are aspects of this nail art I really like a lot. So I guess it’s a pretty normal nail art then, huh?

I’m trying to do a variety of genres and time periods for this segment so I don’t have, for example, two Victorian costumes in a row or a month of nothing but Sci-Fi costumes. This makes the challenge of the segment even trickier but I’m up to the task.

moulin-rouge-poster

For today’s addition to Costume Design nails I chose Satine’s “Black Diamonds” costume from Moulin Rouge. At exhibits and in promotional materials all of Satine’s show costumes had names such as Black Diamonds, Pink Diamonds, Hindi Sad Diamonds, ect. This costume is from the scene where we are introduced to the character of Satine and it’s an interesting contrast from the last costume she wears in the film. Her song and dance number is a reboot of the famous Marilyn Monroe scene from Gentleman Prefer Blondes as well as a reboot of the  music video for Madonna’s Material Girl which was a direct reboot of the same Marilyn Monroe scene.

satine-black-costume-collage

There were no original songs in Moulin Rouge with the exception of one. And no, it wasn’t the song from the Hindi Sad Diamonds scene near the end of the film either. Baz Lurhmann was heavily influenced by the storytelling, music, and costumes of Bollywood and Moulin Rouge is, actually, a Bollywood film in English with known pop songs. It’s one of the big reasons I like this film and it’s a fun one to revisit. Plus the costumes were pretty off the chain amazing. I’ve seen a few of them in person, including the one I chose to replicate as nail art for this post.

Every inch of Satine’s black diamonds costume is covered in beading and it’s meant to have a tuxedo feel to it, again, another homage to Gentleman Prefer Blondes. At the top are black velvet lapels that are beaded and she wore leather gloves. I always wanted to replicate this actual costume even though I was never daring enough to wear it myself. I don’t know why I never did. The idea of beading a corset forever was probably what made me hesitate in doing so. But now I get to try it in nail art form.

This nail art was a bit tough because there are so many elements to Satine’s black diamond’s costume. There’s a lot I could use so I opted to recreate the overall patterns and the most distinguishing portions of the costume which are the beaded scales, the black velvet lapels, and the top hat with crystal encrusted band.

ilnp-maiden-lane-ilnp-missed-calls-virago-varnish-allure-macro

 

I used Virago Varnish’s Allure as my base on all my fingers except on my pointer finger. On my pointer finger I applied Milani’s Black Swift since it’s a one coat black crème polish I use a lot for nail art and as a black base underneath multichromes. I chose Virago Varnish’s Allure because it is the brightest scattered silver holographic in my collection. It, literally, looks like tiny crushed diamonds on my nails.

On my ring finger and pinky I applied mermaid scale vinyls since I wanted thicker lines between the scales than stamping could provide. I created the scales by applying ILNP’s Maiden lane, a charcoal gray ultra holographic. I wanted this part of the nail art to be as sparkly as possible since it was representing the heavily beaded areas of the costume.

 

Recreating the black labels was a bit harder. I really wanted to try and replicate the star and swirls design on the lapels but didn’t have a star vinyl or stamp the right size. I need to get a better brush for freehand designs. I opted instead to replicate the overall feel of the lapel instead of trying to recreate the beaded design exactly.

ilnp-maiden-lane-ilnp-missed-calls-virago-varnish-allure-full-manicure

I used an arrow vinyl and placed it at an angle on my middle finger nail. At the bottom of the nail I used ILNP’s Missed Calls which is a deep charcoal/black ultra holographic. Above the vinyl I painted the rest of the nail black. The triangle of allure represented the beaded border of the lapel and I applied a tiny Swarovski crystal with tweezers onto the point of the black lapel design where the star would have been. In photos the crystal looks a bit big but in person it really worked well.

ilnp_maiden_lane_ilnp_missed_calls_virago_varnish_allure

On my pointer finger I kept it simple and used more of the Swarovski crystals to create the jeweled band on the top hat. I purposefully placed the line of stones at an angle since Satine wore the hat at an angle. I guess I could have used another vinyl but I wanted to bling out this nail art as much as possible as well as experiment with 3D elements in nail art. I really wish my photos show how insanely sparkly this nail art is because it was crazy. I went outside and almost burned out a retina.

Even though this nail art wasn’t exactly what I wanted I still was happy with how it came out. I have done more costume inspired nail art looks from this film because they’re a lot of fun and here’s a lot of stuff to play with. I can’t wait to show them to you in the coming days.

satine-black-costume-nail-art-collage

___________________

Be more social with me!

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/starlightonmymind

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starlightonmymind

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RockStarYogini

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/StarlightOMM/starlight-on-my-mind/

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC45g4-32ab-BdE07v79n-1Q

Email: starlightonmymind@gmail.com

Costume Design Nails: Jocelyn’s Cathedral Gown from A Knight’s Tale

StarlightOnMyMind10 Comments

Hooray, another installment of my new favorite feature on my blog! I have to admit, I went a bit nuts with this. I already have a ton of ideas for costumes to replicate with nail art and have the nail art designs sketched out. I refuse to apologize for my enthusiasm though because this feature makes me so happy and feel inspired again. I really miss making costumes and working in costume design. But this blog feature has helped me not miss it as much.

A-Knights-Tale-2001-movie-poster

For this post I chose an old favorite film. It feels really weird to call a film that came out in 2001 an “old” favorite. 2001 really does not feel that long ago. I know I’m showing my age by saying that but I could care less. I remember when A Knight’s Tale came out people either loved it or hated it. I liked it for a lot of the reasons people hated it. I liked that it wasn’t a straight up, by the books, period piece and instead was full of anachronisms, and the story was told through classic rock music. It was like a trip to a modern day Renaissance Faire where people were doing medieval mashups of modern music, are dressed up in fantasy film inspired costumes that aren’t period accurate, and brings up fond memories of drinking too much cheap cider while watching jousting reenactments. I loved it.

Jocelyn-Cathedral-Dress-Collage

The female lead, Jocelyn, had costumes that seemed inspired more by modern day high fashion which I really liked. There are a lot of great costumes she wore in the film and I’m sure more of hers will show up on this blog feature.

For this post I recreated the ombre dyed gown that Jocelyn wears in the cathedral when she tells William if he loves her he has to throw the match and also during the subsequent tournament scene. I chose this particular costume because it would be a fairly easy costume to recreate as nail art. Gradients and vinyls are two of my favorite easy nail art techniques.

Squishy-Face-Polish-Sweet-Tooth-Collection-Macro

I knew when I decided to recreate this costume I wanted to use colors from Squishy Face Polish’s Sweet Tooth collection. The colors work well together, are opaque in two coats, and all the colors have this soft golden shimmer to them. I knew they would be easy to work with and would make a nice gradient. The collection also had a green that was a close match to the green of Jocelyn’s gown.

I started my manicure by painting my pointer finger and ring finger with Sally Hansen’s White Out. My middle and pinky fingers I painted with Squishy Face Polish’s Pistachio Gelato. I allowed the white and green to dry. I dampened a latex free makeup sponge (I need latex free) and sponged on a gradient of Squishy Face Polish’s Strawberries & Cream, Milky Taro Buns, and Cotton Candy over the nails I painted white. I did two sponged on coats of the gradient. My pointer and ring fingers are meant to represent the sleeves of Jocelyn’s overdress.

Squishy_Face_Polish_Sweet-Tooth_Collection

On my middle fingers I used tweezers to apply a wedge vinyl to the middle of my nail, covering the green. This would mimic the center split in Jocelyn’s ombre dyed overdress that allowed the green under layer to show. Over the vinyl I sponged on two layers of the same gradient and removed the vinyl while the polish was still wet.

Squishy-Face-Polish-Sweet-Tooth-Collection-Full-Manicure

On my pinky finger I didn’t want to leave the nail plain so I stamped on a baby’s breath floral design to try and imitate the look of Jocelyn’s necklace. I used M Polish’s Gilded as my stamping polish.

I’m really happy with how this nail art came out and I think it matches the costume inspiration well. My only critique is actually an anal retentive detail from being a costume designer and that is I should have flipped the gradient on my middle finger to match the direction of the triangle shape since the pink is at the top of the ombre dye. However, I think it would have looked really weird had I done that. Unless you had the photos of the costume for reference it would be easy to assume I made a mistake if I had reversed the gradient on my middle finger. So it’s not too big of a critique. One of the challenges of this blog segment will be creating nail art that mimics elements of a costume design but is still semi wearable as nail art.

Jocelyn-Cathedral-Gown-Nail-Art-Collage

Are you a fan of A Knight’s Tale? What movie or stage production would you like  to see me feature in this segment of my blog?

___________________

Be more social with me!

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/starlightonmymind

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starlightonmymind

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RockStarYogini

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/StarlightOMM/starlight-on-my-mind/

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC45g4-32ab-BdE07v79n-1Q

Email: starlightonmymind@gmail.com

Nail Art with Tonic Nail Polish Lunar Lust & Virago Varnish Mojave Mirage

StarlightOnMyMind17 Comments

Tonic-Nail-Polish-Lunar-Lust-Virago-Varnish-Mojove-Mirage-Collage

Have you tried Tonic nail Polish yet? Tonic is a new indie brand that is producing some really spectacular polishes and formulas. I’m, especially, in love with their shimmers and multichromes. I’m so happy multichromes and shimmers have made a comeback.

I first saw Tonic Nail Polish’s new shade, Lunar Lust, on a blogger friend’s blog and immediately went to Etsy to purchase it. I’ve always wanted a gray polish with strong multichrome shimmer. Lunar Lust is incredible in person. It’s like a magical stone on your nails. If the look of the polish wasn’t good enough it is fully opaque in two, very smooth and easy, coats. I started painting my nails fully expecting Lunar Lust to be a good three coat polish for me. Nope! Two coats. I even added a third to see if it made any difference in the color or opacity and it didn’t. Tonic-Nail-Polish-Lunar-Lust-Virago-Varnish-Mojove-Mirage-Full-Manicure

For my stamping polish I didn’t want to reach for a traditional metallic color. I thought about using black but decided that would be too ordinary for what I had in mind. I ended up opting for Mojave Mirage by Virago Varnish. Mojave Mirage was part of the, very, limited release of the Chromium Desert collection. It was the teal of the collection and the polishes stamp.

Tonic-Nail-Polish-Lunar-Lust-Virago-Varnish-Mojove-Mirage

I knew it would be more of a coordinating polish with the base color than a higher contrast look. I used a stamping plate with a large roses design. Something about moon roses appealed to me. The finished look ended up looking really interesting. In person the stamped design has a lot more contrast than it does in the photos. However, I really dig how the design looks in my photos too. It almost looks like the design was created with matte polish or matte topcoat instead of actual polish.

Tonic_Nail_Polish_Lunar_Lust_Virago_Varnish_Mojove_Mirage

So, if you don’t have Tonic nail Polish’s Lunar Lust yet I highly recommend it. Mojave Mirage is no longer available for purchase. The Chromium Desert collection sold out within minutes and I was really fortunate to be able to get the two polishes I purchased.

I’m really having a lot of fun with nail art lately. I hated stamping when I first tried to learn. But a lot of that was because I was trying to use a bowed stamping plate and a bad stamper. Once I got a hold of the right tools stamping became a whole lot more enjoyable. Of course, I’m still learning but I’m having a lot more fun doing so now.

Have you picked up any Tonic Nail Polishes? Were you lucky enough to grab one, or a few, of the Chromium Desert polishes by Virago Varnish? What do you think of Lunar Lust?

___________________

Tonic Nail Polish’s Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Tonicpolish

Virago Varnish Online Store: https://www.viragovarnish.com/

___________________

Be more social with me!

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/starlightonmymind

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starlightonmymind

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RockStarYogini

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/StarlightOMM/starlight-on-my-mind/

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC45g4-32ab-BdE07v79n-1Q

Email: starlightonmymind@gmail.com

Costume Design Nails: Lucille’s Blue Gown from Crimson Peak

StarlightOnMyMind13 Comments

I’m incredibly excited to launch a new feature on my blog. As many of you know I used to work in independent film and theater as a costume designer, costumer, and wardrobe assistant. I also owned my own business where people could commission me to make costumes and clothing. I really do miss it but my eyes just cannot handle the itty bitty stitches anymore.

I had been trying to think of a way I could incorporate my knowledge of costume design and my love of nails and nail art. That’s when I came up with the idea for this feature on my blog. I’m far from the first nail artist or blogger to do nail art inspired by fashion and certainly don’t wish to take credit for it. But I thought it would be a fun challenge for me to do nail art that evokes the feeling and look of a specific costume from stage or film.

Because costumes are made from entirely different mediums than nail art my goal isn’t to exactly replicate the look of a costume, but rather create a nail art using the color palette, lines, and aesthetic to create an “inspired by” look. I really enjoy nail art even though I am still, very much, in the learning phase. It helps me to break out of my swatching routine and I feel this new feature of my blog will challenge me to try new things.

crimson-peak-poster

For my first entry into the Costume Design Nails feature I picked a costume I really loved from a recent film and one I knew I had the supplies to create the look. Crimson Peak came out around Halloween last year and while Universal marketed it as a horror film, the filmmaker, Guillermo Del Toro, wrote it as a Gothic Romance. While the Gothic Romance genre has a few similarities to Horror they’re really not the same thing at all. Universal Studios in Hollywood even had a Crimson Peak themed maze at last year’s Halloween Horror Nights event. It was a really well done maze, but didn’t fit in with the others. Because of this poor marketing Crimson Peak was received as, basically, a “bait and switch.” I ended up seeing the movie with the friend who went with me to Halloween Horror Nights because all my other friends were too scared to see the movie with me. I really enjoyed the sets and the costumes but left the theater feeling prepared for a far scarier movie than it ended up being. The story was “meh” but it definitely fits into that Gothic Romance genre. If you enjoyed Pan’s Labyrinth you may enjoy Crimson Peak.

Lucille-Stairs

images (20)
images (19)
images (21)

One thing I really did enjoy from the film was the costumes. I especially enjoyed how Lucille’s costumes mimicked the architecture of the haunted house. Her petrol blue gown with the appliqués was, easily, my favorite. I really love how it’s so intricate but appears really old and almost ratty, kind of like the house.

ILNP-Sweater-Weather-Polish-M-Bronze

For the base of my nail art I chose ILNP’s Sweater Weather because, in person, the color is almost a dead on dupe for the blue velvet of Lucille’s gown. I really wish Zoya had a petrol blue in their Matte Velvets collection because that would have been perfect. Although, Sweater Weather is a gorgeous polish and worked well for this project.

ILNP-Sweater-Weather-Polish-M-Bronze-Macro

Mimicking the appliqués was a bit harder. The appliqués on the actual gown appear the be beaded and embroidered lace. I wasn’t about to make an appliqué for nail art. They’re a big enough pain in the rear for clothing, much less miniature sized. I know they have nail appliqués but none like the kind I wanted. Luckily, one of my blogging friends, Megan, from Mindfully Polished had sent me some stamping plates because she’s a sweetheart and I found a couple floral patterns that had an appliqué look to them. Thank you, again, Megan!

This nail art made me realize I really need to put more work in my double stamping techniques. I decided to use M Polish Bronze and Elizabethan. Elizabethan ended up not being as high contrast as I wanted paired with bronze but I was afraid to use a lighter stamping polish because the appliqués on the gown are pretty dark because they are meant to evoke the feeling of moths that have settled onto the dress. I thought if I did some double stamping it might give the design a bit more dimension.

Although the finished look didn’t quite turn out exactly as I had hoped I feel it works well and matches the inspiration. I figured the more I do this feature on my blog the better my nail art interpretations will be.

ILNP_Sweater_Weather_Polish_M_Bronze

What do you think of this feature? I’m thinking about opening this up to others if other people are interested and creating a Linkup or something similar. Let me know in the comments if this is something you think you would like to participate in.

Like I said, I’m really excited for this feature and already have a bunch of nail art looks in the works.

___________________

Be more social with me!

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/starlightonmymind

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starlightonmymind

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RockStarYogini

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/StarlightOMM/starlight-on-my-mind/

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC45g4-32ab-BdE07v79n-1Q

Email: starlightonmymind@gmail.com

Joy Lacquer Group Customs

StarlightOnMyMind10 Comments

*Press Sample*

Joyful-Fingers-Group-Customs-Inspiration-Photos

I have a much loved brand for you today. I don’t own a whole lot of Joy Lacquer polishes but the ones I do own are among my favorites. Joy sent me the four group customs for Joyful Fingers, the Facebook fan group for Joy Lacquer. All four are inspired by artistic car paint jobs that were submitted by group members and the final four were voted on for Joy to create polishes inspired by each of the four photos. We have two multichromes, one thermal, and one shimmer. In the top row of the photo above we have the inspiration photo for Destination: Just Drive on the left and the inspiration for Highway Heat on the right. On the bottom row we have the inspiration for Roadtrip Rendevzous on the left and the inspiration photo for Sunroof Stargazing on the right.

Joy-Lacquer-Roadtrip-Redezvous-MacroJoy-Lacquer-Roadtrip-Redezvous

Roadtrip Rendezvous

 Roadtrip Rendezvous is the first of the multichromes. It has a green base and shifts to purple, magenta, and even hints of red and gold. This is a gorgeous multichrome with a smooth formula. I was able to get Roadtrip Rendezvous opaque in two coats but you may need three if you do thinner coats. Like other multichromes, you could wear Highway heat over a black or dark colored base to get different effects and use less coats of the multichrome.

Joy-Lacquer-Destination-Just-Drive-MacroJoy-Lacquer-Destination-Just-Drive

Destination: Just Drive

This was my favorite of the four customs. This polish has a bright blue base that shifts to purple, magenta, and even hints of red and gold at the edges. What makes this multichrome extra special is it also contains duochrome flakies that shift from green to gold. Destination: Just Drive was opaque for me in two coats, but again, you may need three if you do thin coats. I’m absolutely in love with this polish.

Joy-Lacquer-Highway-Heat-MacroJoy-Lacquer-Highway-Heat

Highway heat

Highway heat is a gorgeous magenta to deep plum, almost black, color thermal with a pink to gold shifting sparkle. This polish is magenta in its warm state and the deep plum color in its cold state. I really love Joy lacquer’s thermals and find them to be very reactive all I had to do was touch my ice water cup to get the polish to change colors. Highway heat was opaque for me in two coats and zero issues with application.

Joy-Lacquer-Sunroof-Stargazing-MacroJoy-Lacquer-Sunroof-Stargazing

Sunroof Stargazing

This is the shimmer polish among the four customs. Sunroof Stargazing is an orchid purple with a warm pink shimmer and scattered holographic. The pink shimmer is much more visible and a bit warmer toned than it shows in my photos. It’s really pretty and as a shimmer fan I really like it. This was a two coat polish for me, but you may need three coats if you do very thin coats.

Overall Impression

Joy makes some really gorgeous polishes and I loved the variety of finishes and colors with these customs. Even though Destinations: Just Drive was the standout favorite for me I enjoyed the other three polishes a great deal and they are polishes I would absolutely buy. I think Joy did an excellent job matching the polishes to the inspiration photos.

You can purchase the group custom polishes on the Joy Lacquer website here. Roadtrip Rendezvous is available for $11.00 and the other three are $10.50 each. Which of the four polishes is your favorite?

___________________

Joy Lacquer Links

Joyful Group Customs Listing: http://joylacquer.com/t/joyful-group-customs

Joyful Fingers: A Joy Lacquer Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1655630528025342/?fref=nf

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/JoyLacquer/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joylacquer/

___________________

Be more social with me!

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/starlightonmymind

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starlightonmymind

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RockStarYogini

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/StarlightOMM/starlight-on-my-mind/

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC45g4-32ab-BdE07v79n-1Q

Email: starlightonmymind@gmail.com

Cirque Colors Vice 2016 Collection: Part 2

StarlightOnMyMind7 Comments

*Purchased by Me*

Cirque-Colors-Vice-2016-Collection

If you missed the first half of my review if the Cirque Colors Vice 2016 collection you can catch up on it here. In this post I will have two more colors to show you as well as the holographic topcoat and the holographic pouch.

Cirque-Colors-Plastik

Plastik

Plastik is best described as a neon magenta pink. It’s got a bit of warm purple in it but not enough o really justify calling it a purple. It really is that, CMYK, process magenta except with an even bigger neon punch. Really smooth and easy to use formula, applied more like a regular crème than a neon and was opaque in two coats.

Cirque-Colors-Rehab

Rehab

This gorgeous color was very difficult to photograph. Rehab is a neon indigo that leans a bit more blue than purple. It’s similar to China Glaze’s I Got a Blue Attitude except it leans more on the blue side. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say Rehab is in between I got a Blue Attitude and the original formula of Sally Hansen’s Pacific Blue. It is in no way a dupe for either, just in between the two. The formula was great, no issues, and was fully opaque in two coats.

Cirque-Colors-High-Roller-We-Trippy
Cirque-Colors-Plastik-We-Trippy
Cirque-Colors-Electric-Dairy-We-Trippy
Cirque-Colors-Rehab-We-Trippy
Cirque-Colors-Sin-City-We-Trippy

We Trippy

We Trippy is the holographic topper that was rereleased along with the Vice 2016 collection. I was a bit hesitant to buy We Trippy because I already own a few holographic toppers and wasn’t sure how different this one would be. I was very wrong! All of my holographic toppers (with the exception of one) give a scattered holographic effect. Scattered holographic is nice but I never found a topper that gave the linear effect I really hoped for. We Trippy has both a scattered and linear holographic effect but if you’re looking for a topper that has a stronger linear effect you may want to grab this one.

I decided to show off We Trippy as a macro over each of the colors from the Vice 2016 collection. Although, I have to give a forewarning that it’s difficult to see the rainbow effect in photos because the base colors underneath We Trippy are so bright. The holographic effect is much more visible in person. We Trippy does slightly dull the color of the polish underneath which is always going to happen with holographic pigment. In all honesty, the colors in the Vice 2016 collection are so intense and bright that the slight dullness really doesn’t make much of a difference at all. You’re still going to have in your face neon with We Trippy worn on top.

Cirque-Colors-Vice-2016-Holographic-Pouch

Holographic Pouch

In the first part of this review I mentioned how much I admired Cirque Colors overall branding as well as how they are really good at producing cohesive collections. The addition of the holographic pouch with purchase of the full Vice 2016 collection gave it a high end feel as if I was buying from a department store.

I wasn’t sure how high quality the holographic pouch would be but, again, was very pleasantly surprised. The inside is lined with vinyl so you can store makeup or nail care products in it. The pouch is a pretty good size at 7” wide and 5 ¼” tall with a zipper closure. I stored my nail care items in it so I can keep them with me in my messenger bag.

If you missed out on buying the full collection or only want a few colors you can now buy the holographic pouch separately for $10 which is a fantastic deal.

Overall Impression

The more I used this collection the more I enjoyed it. The colors in the Vice 2016 collection go very well together and will look amazing in various nail art looks. The quality of the polishes is superb and they do not, at all, apply like the chalky, difficult to level out, neons that we’ve had for years. Indies really do neons the best and I was impressed how much the Vice 2016 collection applied like non neon crème polishes. Al of the formulas were very consistent and all of them were opaque in two coats except for one which was opaque in three. Cirque Colors contain lavender and clary sage essential oils and I definitely noticed the sage fragrance while applying the polish.

I like all the colors in the Vice 2016 collection and it’s difficult to pick a favorite but the stand outs for me were High Roller and Sin City. High Roller stands out for me because t’s such a pretty and highly saturated mint shade that I can wear all year and in a variety of settings. Sin City is the other stand out for me for the opposite reason of High Roller. It’s probably the brightest of all the neon polishes I own and is eye searing even in dim lighting.

If you want to purchase the Vice 2016 collection or the polishes individually you can do so through the Cirque Colors website. I know we’re getting into fall colors but it’s going to be close to 100 degrees here this coming week and I’m just not ready for vampy fall colors yet. So if you could only pick one color which one would it be?

___________________

Be more social with me!

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/starlightonmymind

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starlightonmymind

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RockStarYogini

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/StarlightOMM/starlight-on-my-mind/

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC45g4-32ab-BdE07v79n-1Q

Email: starlightonmymind@gmail.com

Cirque Colors Vice 2016 Collection: Part 1

StarlightOnMyMind7 Comments

*Purchased by Me*

Even though this is only a five piece collection with a holographic topper I’m breaking this review up into two parts because I’m still waiting for my replacement for one of the polishes to arrive. Once it does I will feature the other two polishes in this collection and show macros of all five colors topped with the holographic topper.

The Vice 2016 collection by Cirque Colors is a limited edition collection that is only available during the summer. It consists of five neon shades and a holographic topcoat.

Cirque-Colors-Electric-Daisy

Electric Daisy

I was kind of proud of my photo of this polish because it’s the first time I was able to accurately photograph a neon yellow. The color of Electric Daisy reminds me a ton of china Glaze’s Celtic Sun. It leans ever so slightly more on the chartreuse side than Celtic Sun but they’re pretty similar. The big bonus of Electric Daisy is its formula. Electric Daisy gives you the Celtic sun, in your face, neon yellow look without the hassle of a white base. It took me three coats to get Electric Daisy fully opaque. The formula was easier to use than Celtic Sun. My recommendation is if you like that highlighter yellow look you should grab electric Daisy just because it will make your life easier.

Cirque-Colors-High-Roller

High Roller

This was the color I was most excited about with the Vice 2016 collection. The idea of a neon mint really appealed to me. High Roller is probably one of the least neon of the colors along with Rehab. It’s extremely similar to Virago Varnish’s Paradise Pool except High Roller leans a bit greener. For those who missed the Boardwalk collection from Virago Varnish High Roller is an excellent alternative to Paradise Pool. It’s very bright and has an excellent formula. I was able to get High Roller opaque in two coats. No issues with the formula being chalky or hard to work with.

Cirque-Colors-Sin-City

Sin City

The actual color of Sin City is a whole lot brighter than my swatch shows. Sin City reminds me a lot of the original formula of China Glaze’s Flip Flop Fantasy except on steroids. Sin City is a super neon coral red  polish and is fully opaque in two easy coats, no white base needed. This color was bright even in a dimly lit room. I own a lot of neon polishes but Sin City may be the brightest one I own. It’s pretty intense and not for the faint of heart. I really liked the formula of Sin City and found it very easy to apply.

Overall Impression

This is just a partial review so I will have the other half of the Vice 2016 collection and macros coming as soon as I get my package.

This was my first time trying Cirque Colors and I do admire how clean and sleek their branding is. Branding is big for me. I also think Cirque does a really great job of producing cohesive collections. I come from a fashion design background so I pay a lot of attention to collections and how they are presented. Creating interesting and cohesive collections is really one of those talents you either have or you don’t. You can fine tune that talent but it’s very hard to develop from scratch.

The Vice 2016 collection is currently still available on the Cirque Colors website as of the time of this blog post went up. I do not know how much longer they will be stocked but if you’re interested in them I would grab them. I’m looking forward  showing you guys the rest of the collection very soon.

___________________

Be more social with me!

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/starlightonmymind

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starlightonmymind

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RockStarYogini

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/StarlightOMM/starlight-on-my-mind/

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC45g4-32ab-BdE07v79n-1Q

Email: starlightonmymind@gmail.com

Polish M Back to Reality Collection

StarlightOnMyMind16 Comments

*Press Sample*

I became a fan of Polish M when I went to The Indie Shop event in Torrance and was able to meet Michelle, the maker and mastermind behind Polish M, and see her creations firsthand. Polish M makes some of my favorite crelly and glitter polishes because I like the wide variety of color combinations and the formulas are excellent. I was thrilled when Michelle approached me to swatch the Back to Reality collection for the big sale. Yes, you read that right, the Back to Reality collection is discounted and I will have a special surprise for you at the end of this post.

Polish-M-Back-to-Reality-Collection

The Back to Reality collection consists of six brights that work well as summer to fall transitional colors. This time of year the weather still has not cooled down and I’m not quite ready for the vampy shades that are signatures of fall collections. So it’s nice to have some colors that are great for in between the neons of summer and the deep shades of fall.

polish-M-Hello-Monday-Bottle-MacroPolish-M-Hello-Monday-Macropolish-M-Hello-Monday

Hello Monday

I can best describe this polish as a bright, but murky, chartreuse color with bronze, gold, and teal micro flakes. I wasn’t sure I would Hello Monday but ended up really liking it because the micro flakes give it a little something special. Hello Monday has a smooth formula that is opaque in two to three coats depending on application. I do thinner coats so it took three of them to completely hide my visible nail line. All of the polishes dry pretty quickly so even three coats goes fast.

Polish-M-The-Last-Mile-Home-Bottle-MacroPolish-M-The-Last-Mile-Home-MacroPolish-M-The-Last-Mile-Home

The Last Mile Home

The color in my photos looks more neon than this orange really is. It is bright, but not at all a neon orange. The color makes me think of the outer skin of blood oranges. There are also gold, orange, silver, and a tiny amount of aqua micro flakes. The orange and gold flakes stand out the most and give this color almost a shimmery look. The formula for The Last Mile Home was a bit thicker than the prior polish and I was able to easily get it fully opaque in two coats. Absolutely zero issues with application and fast dry time. However, the dry time is not so fast you have to work quickly or worry about polish drag.

Polish-M-Hit-Snooze-Repeat-Bottle-MacroPolish-M-Hit-Snooze-Repeat-MacroPolish-M-Hit-Snooze-Repeat

Hit Snooze. Repeat

This was, hands down, my favorite color of the collection. Hit Snooze. Repeat is that perfect shade of bright medium jade green that toes the line of green and teal. I really love the drop of blue in this and that in leans on the cooler spectrum of green. There are also silver, blue, and green micro flakes that add extra dimension to Hit Snooze. Repeat. This was another very easy two coat polish for me.

Polish-M-Back-to-Reality-Bottle-MacroPolish-M-Back-to-Reality-MacroPolish-M-Back-to-Reality

Back to Reality

The namesake polish of this collection is a bright, cool toned medium hot pink. The color was a bit hard to fully capture in my photos but it reminds me a lot of cherry bubble gum. It’s that same bright, fun, cool toned pink with blue and silver micro flakes added in. I didn’t have any issues with application but I did need three coats for Back to Reality to completely cover my visible nail line. However, this is not unusual for pinks and each one of the coats went quickly. I didn’t notice any issues with staining either.

Polish-M-Inbox-is-Full-Bottle-MacroPolish-M-Inbox-is-Full-MacroPolish-M-Inbox-is-Full

Inbox Is Full

A true concord grape purple polish with silver, lavender, and purple micro flakes.  My brush macro did not come out as color accurate as my other two photos of this polish but it shows the micro flakes. I’ll never be one to turn down shades of purple like this. This purple leans ever so slightly on the cooler side but will be very flattering on a wide variety of skin tones. Inbox is Full was almost a one coat wonder for me and with careful application of a thicker coat it may be for some. I prefer thinner coats because they’re easier for me to control and they dry a lot faster so two coats was all I needed. The formula was excellent.

Polish-M-PVB-Post-Vacation-Blues-Bottle-MacroPolish-M-PVB-Post-Vacation-Blues-MacroPolish-M-PVB-Post-Vacation-Blues

PVB (Post-Vacation Blues)

When I first pulled PVB out of the box I thought it was an exact dupe for the cult classic, Original Pacific Blue by Sally Hansen. PVB is darker than Pacific Blue, therefore it’s not a dupe, but it has that same dusty quality to it. If you’re hankering for a cobalt blue polish with a similar feel then PVB is a great stand in. The bronze micro flakes stand out well against the blue base and there are also a scattering of silver and purple micro flakes in there as well. Again, PVB is another easy two coat polish with no application issues. You’ll be happy to know that I experienced zero staining with this one and my nails can stain pretty easily. You’ll still want to use basecoat but blues like this can sometimes be bad strainers but this was not the case with PVB.

Polish-M-Nourishing-Cuticle-OilPolish-M-Nourishing-Cuticle-Oil-Applicator

Nourishing Cuticle Oil in Hot Apple Pie Scent

Michelle was kind enough to send me one of her new cuticle oil fragrances for the fall and I was really excited to try it out. She sent me the Hot Apple Pie scent and she is a scent wizard because it really does smell like apple pie baking in the oven. The fragrance is very apple cinnamon with the tiniest hint of cloves.

I love the lip gloss type applicator that comes inside the 8ml tube of cuticle oil. It makes the oil easy to apply and the tip easily gets into those hard to reach parts on the sidewalls and underneath the nail. The packaging also provides a no mess application and I have mine stashed in my little nail care bag I carry in my messenger bag that it take with me everywhere.

Polish M’s Nourishing Cuticle Oil is comprised of seven different oils and they are avocado oil, apricot kernel oil, jojoba oil, vitamin E oil, grape seed oil, meadowfoam seed oil, and sweet almond oil. Fragrance oils are also added to scent the product. My skin especially loves avocado and sweet almond oils so this cuticle oil works great for me. I apply the oil to my cuticles and sidewalls then allow it to soak in for a few minutes before rubbing into my skin and nails.

Overall Impression

I really love these polishes that Michelle makes with the micro flakes in them. She makes such nice colors and the flakes add something extra so it’s not just a basic crème. I own a wide variety of indie nail polishes and Polish M, easily, has some of the best formulas that are also consistent from one collection to the next. There wasn’t a single “meh” formula in the entire collection which is great.

All six of the polishes dry smooth but benefit greatly from a glossy topcoat to help bring out the micro flakes. I’m really excited to use these with some nail art because there’s just enough going on with the micro flakes but not so much that it takes away from the base color or nail art techniques such as stamping over them.

As I mentioned in the beginning of this post I have a discount code for the Back to reality collection that Michelle was kind enough to provide. The code BTR25 will give you 25% off of the Back to Reality polishes which regularly retail for $9.00 each and $54.00 for the entire collection. This is a fantastic deal and you won’t want to miss out if you don’t own the Back to reality collection yet or want to add to your collection of those polishes. Which polish are you most interested in?

Polish-Back-to-Reality-Discount-Flyer

___________________

Polish M Links

Online Store: http://www.polishm.com/

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/polishmpolish/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creativenailchick/

Polish ‘M Fans Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/polishm/

 

___________________

Be more social with me!

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/starlightonmymind

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starlightonmymind

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RockStarYogini

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/StarlightOMM/starlight-on-my-mind/

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC45g4-32ab-BdE07v79n-1Q

Email: starlightonmymind@gmail.com