Nail Art Time! featuring Dreamland Lacquer and Born Pretty Store

Nail Art Time! featuring Dreamland Lacquer and Born Pretty Store 

*Purchased by Me and Sent by Maker*

Why, hello there! I'm sorry again for being absent lately. The good news is, I'm finished summer classes, and am on a mini break for about a week and a half! Woo-hoo! 

Today, I'm sharing some stamping nail art with you! For the base of this mani, I used Dreamland Lacquer's Coral of the Story II, a Hella Holo Customs polish that was created a couple of months ago. I reviewed the original Coral of the Story here, but some customers had had this polish fade; therefore, Noelie, the maker of Dreamland, was kind enough to reformulate COTS and replace EVERYONE'S bottle, at no cost to the buyer. Isn't that amazing of her? I am forever in awe of how sweet indie makers are! 

Dreamland Lacquer Coral of the Story II

Collection: Hella Holo Customs April 2016 Customs

Color/Finish: Dreamland Lacquer Coral of the Story II is a pink-toned coral linear holographic.

Formula/Application: COTS II had a smooth and even formula, and it was a dream (haha, no pun intended!) to apply. It dried very quickly between coats, about 2 minutes maximum. It dried glossy, but shown is with one layer of glossy top coat.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 5 hearts! This color is so vibrant in person, the holo flame is insane, and the formula was perfect! What more could a polish lover ask for?

Availability: Dreamland Lacquer Coral of the Story II is no longer currently available for direct purchase. 

Stamping Time! 

After my topcoat dried, I decided to add some stamping to Coral of the Story. For this mani, I chose a swirly image from Born Pretty Store's BP-28. For this image, I used white Konad polish and my clear jelly stamper, also from Born Pretty Store. Everything is sealed in with another layer of glossy top coat! 

I'm so excited with how this came out! And, I actually kept this on for 4 days. FOUR DAYS! That's probably a record for me! 

Please be sure to check out Dreamland Lacquer on social media! 

Shop       Instagram       Facebook       Facebook Fan Group

Thank you so much for stopping by, and I'll see you next time! 

♥ Megan

Dreamland Lacquer Coral of the Story for Hella Holo Customs April 2016: Swatch and Review

Dreamland Lacquer Coral of the Story 

*Purchased by Me*

Today, I have a group-exclusive polish to share with you! Hella Holo Customs is a group on Facebook that is dedicated to two things: 1) Being pretty freaking amazing, and 2) Bringing you the holo-est holo polish possible! Each month, at least two different makers are featured to create customs for the group. Members are able to submit and vote on inspiration pictures, which eventually turn into beautiful creations by the month's chosen makers. It is an amazing group, and I am so happy to be a member! 

The polish that I have to share with you today was one of the colors created for April 2016. One of the makers for April was Dreamland Lacquer (previously known as Smitten Polish). One of the inspiration pictures chosen was coral, and Noelie (the genius behind Dreamland) created this polish, Coral of the Story:

And before we get too into the polish, can I just show you how adorable this packaging is?? It is so beautiful and classy! 

I also forgot to mention that Hella Holo Customs allows members to submit name ideas as well. I may or may not have had the winning name for this, so you know that I had to pick up a bottle! 

Coral of the Story is a bright, pink-toned coral with a purple flash and an intense linear holo. 

 

 The formula on Coral of the Story was absolute perfection! It wasn't too thick or too thin, and it remained exactly where I put it. Dry time was great, and it dried down glossy. Shown are two coats for my desired level of opacity, plus one layer of glossy top coat.

 

Isn't she gorgeous?? I legitimately could not stop taking pictures of this beauty!

While Coral of the Story is no longer available, there are numerous other polishes available on Dreamland Lacquer's website!

Be sure to check out Dreamland Lacquer on social media!
Dreamland Lacquer's shop: http://www.dreamlandlacquer.com/
Dreamland Lacquer's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dreamlandlacquer/
Dreamland Lacquer's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DreamlandLacquer/?fref=ts
Smitten with Dreamland (Facebook Fan Group): https://www.facebook.com/groups/680489535308860/

Thanks for stopping by, and I'll see you next time!
♥ Megan

Essie Spring 2016 Lounge Lover Collection: Swatches and Review

*Purchased  by Me*

Essie Lounge Lover Collection for Spring 2016

Hey there! Today, I have swatches of the entire Spring 2016 Lounge Lover Collection to share with you! This is a 6-piece collection, and there is a mix of conventional and non-conventional spring colors. Every polish in this collection is a creme finish. Let's take a look! 

High Class Affair

The first color in the collection is named High Class Affair. High Class Affair is described on Essie's website as an "amorous blush nude." I would say that this description is pretty accurate! It is a pink-toned nude creme. 

Unfortunately, for me at least, the formula on High Class Affair left little to be desired. While I was able to get it opaque, it applied very streaky. The first coat was a bit thin, but buildable. After three coats, I had no visible nail line, but still some streaks. However, when I applied a layer of glossy top coat, I was able to minimize the visible streaks. Shown in my swatch are three coats, plus one layer of glossy top coat! 

Lounge Lover

Next up is Lounge Lover, the namesake polish of the collection. Lounge Lover is described on Essie's site as a "pretty pink peach." This is a pretty accurate description as well, and I love this type of shade in a creme finish! 

The formula on Lounge Lover was similar to that of High Class Affair. While there were fewer streaks, they were still present. I was able to minimize these streaks with top coat as well, and was able to get it opaque in three coats. Shown are these three coats, plus one layer of topcoat. 

Sunshine State of Mind

The third color that I have for you is called Sunshine State of Mind, described as a "blazing coral tangelo." To me, this is more on the bright/bordering neon orange creme side than coral. 

From this point forward, the formulas on the polishes started to look up for me! Sunshine State of Mind was almost a one-coater, but a did one thick coat and one thin coat for good measure. There were minimal streaks, but they all cleared up with top coat. Shown in my swatch are two coats, plus one layer of glossy top coat. 

Shades On

Still a conventional spring color, Shades On is described as a "mysterious deep violet." Not so much violet, I would describe Shades On as a medium lilac creme. 

The formula on Shades On was absolutely impeccable, and I was able to get it opaque in one thick coat, with no streaks. Shown in my swatch is one coat, plus one layer of glossy top coat. 

 

Pool Side Service

 The next-to-last polish in the collection, and one of the unconventional spring color, is named Pool Side Service. It is described as a "crisp cerulean blue." In my eyes, it is more of a blue-toned teal creme. 

(Sorry for the marks! I had sticker residue on the bottle, and couldn't get it to come off!)

The formula on Pool Side Service was also wonderful! It applied nice and smooth, and I was able to get it opaque and streak-free in one thick plus one thin coat. Shown is with one layer of glossy top coat! 

Off Tropic

Last but not least, and another unconventional spring color, is Off Tropic. Off Tropic is described as a "lush grove green." In my eyes, this is a glorious forest green creme! 

The formula on Off Tropic was wonderfully smooth and self-leveling, and I was able to get it opaque in two medium coats; you may be able to reach full opacity with one thick coat, though! Shown is with one layer of glossy top coat. 

 

And there you have it: The entire Essie Lounge Lover Collection for Spring 2016! I picked this collection up from Rite Aid (you can get them at a discounted price if you have their rewards card!), but they are also available at other drug stores, Target, beauty stores like Ulta, nail polish e-tailers, and directly from Essie's website. 

Have you already picked up this collection? If not, do you plan on picking any up? Let me know in the comments below! 

As always, thank you for stopping by, and I'll see you next time! 

♥ Megan

Lemming Lacquer Holo-Maniacs Custom No. 1: Swatch and Review

*Purchased by Me*

Happy Monday! I hope that you had a wonderful weekend! It was gorgeous here on Saturday and Sunday, so I spent both days running around. 

Today, I'm sharing a polish with you that was created as a custom for a Facebook group that I started, Holo-Maniacs. It is a group for lovers of anything holographic, and everyone in the group is amazing and kind! 

The maker of the first custom for the group was Cassie of Lemming Lacquer. I had not previously owned any colors from Lemming Lacquer, but have seen Cassie's polishes, and I knew that she would be able to knock it out of the park. To begin, I posted a poll to the group, in order to choose a color. The color chosen was coral; after this was chosen, I had group members submit inspiration photos, which Cassie would be able to use to create the polish. This was the final photo of choice! 

 

(obtained from www.crystalandrox.com)

The polish that Cassie created is absolutely breathtaking! We decided to go simple with the name, and it was dubbed Holo-Maniacs Custom No. 1.  

 

 

 Holo-Maniacs Custom No. 1 is a terra cotta-toned coral, packed with holographic sparkle and blue flakies. The formula on this beauty was absolutely divine! It was almost a one-coater, but I used two for good measure; it also deepened up the color a bit, on the second coat. Dry time was extremely quick; by the time I finished one coat on both hands, it was dry enough to apply the second! It dried smooth, but a bit dull, so I used one layer of top coat to add shine and to make everything pop! Shown are those two coats plus top coat.

 

 

While this custom is no longer available for purchase, I am working on choosing the next maker for another custom for the group! If you would like to join Holo-Maniacs, you can do so right here!

Be sure to check out Lemming Lacquer on social media!

Lemming Lacquer website: http://www.lemminglacquer.com/
Lemming Lacquer Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lemminglacquer/
Lemming Lacquer Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LemmingLacquer/?fref=ts
Lemming Lacquer Legion (Facebook Fan Group): https://www.facebook.com/groups/LemmingLacquerLegion/

Thanks for stopping by, and I'll see you next time!
♥ Megan 

Lovely Layering: China Glaze Red-y to Rave and KBShimmer Prism Break

*Purchased by Me*

**Warning: Pic Heavy!**

Happy Friday!! Congrats on getting through another week! 

For this mani, I decided to play with some polishes that I already had in my collection. I have been coveting and searching for the perfect coral holo, and then I thought: "Hey, why don't I just try to make my own, out of what I have already?" Spoiler alert- I LOVE the results of what I layered!

To start, I pulled out China Glaze Red-y to Rave, a neon red-orange creme from their Summer 2015 Electric Nights collection. I was absolutely in love with this entire collection, and Red-y to Rave is no exception! The formula on this seemed a tad bit thin at first, but it was not overly watery or runny. I was able to get it mostly opaque in two coats; however, if I was wearing it by itself, I would most likely use three coats. 

 

Next, I opted for one of my favorite holo top coats: KBShimmer Prism Break. I love using Prism Break in either one coat, for a subtle holo, or two coats, for a stronger effect. Using two coats does gray out a base color a bit, but that is usually the norm with holo topcoats! 

 

 

 

I love both of these polishes by themselves, but when put together, they make the perfect coral holo! I am so happy with how this combo came out. 

 

I definitely see myself repeating this combo! It is bright, spring-y, and summery! I also really need to start playing around with my collection more, to see which polishes look amazing together.

What are some of your favorite layering combos? Let me know in the comments! 

Thanks for stopping by, and I'll see you next time!

♥ Megan