Thursday, December 31, 2015

Year In Review 2015

Press Samples 
Purchased by Me


As another year comes to a close, we humans have a habit of reflecting back on the year just gone. I'm not sure why exactly, but it happens. Tomorrow is just another day...like yesterday or Wednesday 3 weeks ago. Nevertheless, this is the day it usually happens.

So I thought I'd go through my year, both as Sheila and as Pointless Cafe.




The biggest "life event" for me this year was moving 1300 miles across the country. Going "home."


Wednesday, December 30, 2015

BOW Polish by Dance Legend: Thermo Top Coat

*Nothing to Disclose


BOW Polish Thermo Top Coat


Tonight I have a really quick and dirty review of the BOW Polish by Dance Legend Thermo Top Coat. And when I say dirty, I mean that I swatched it over my really old, worn mani I've been wearing for a week.

So I heard about this thermal top coat that you could put over any polish to make it thermal! Like a black to clear. I was excited and ordered it directly from Dance Legend in Russia immediately. It takes about 3 weeks but I've never had any trouble ordering from there at all and I've done it several times.

I'm wearing Chanel Lotus Rouge. I have tip wear and I haven't even re-top coated to freshen it up so for that I apologize. I put one coat over my accent nail and this is what happened...




Black is the cold version.

And when my hands warmed up...





So it's not exactly a clear to black thermal as you can see. It does alter the polish color and it's full of holographic particles.

I was disappointed at first since I really thought it was clear with "fairy dust like" holo. But I really did like the color it turned Lotus Rouge and the thermal works really well. My nail changes all the time going from inside to outside.

As long as you know it will be a muted version of the color you layer it over, I think you'll be very happy with it! If you expect it to be a clear holo top coat when warm, you will be a bit disappointed.

I paid $10 plus shipping. I ordered several things and total shipping was $10.

Link: Dance Legend Thermo Top Coat


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KBShimmer: The Birthstone Collection - Swatches and Review

Press Sample 
*These products are Cruelty Free 


Hi everyone! I'm back with a 12 polish collection to show you from KBShimmer called the Birthstone Collection. 12 shades in the colors of your favorite gemstones. I'll tell you in advance that I might have cussed these out a few times while swatching. Or maybe it was the overcast sky I was cussing? I wanted to show you how sparkly and shimmery and blingy these were and without the sun it's harder for me. But here we are anyway.

KBShimmer
The Birthstone Collection





Saturday, December 26, 2015

A Box Indied: New Year, New You - January 2016 - Swatches and Review

Press Sample 
*These products are Cruelty Free 


A Box Indied: New Year, New You
January 2016


Hi everyone! I'm back with my swatches and review of the upcoming January 2016 A Box Indied!

Every month, on the 1st and 2nd, there will be an open pre-order. Once the pre-order is closed, everyone works to get all orders shipped out over the following week to 2 weeks. So by the 15th of each month all orders will have been dispatched to their new homes.

In addition, each participating maker in the box will hide a $25 gift certificate in a random bottle of polish! So there will be a total of 5 GCs hidden in random boxes!
Swatches for the next box will be available *on or before the 23rd of the month prior.

*Sorry the holidays delayed this month a bit





Swatches, review and details after the jump...


Sunday, December 20, 2015

Top 15 of 2015: My Personal Favorites

Press Samples  
Purchased by Me


Top 15 of 2015
My Personal Favorites



It's that time of year! A look back at my top 15 favorite polishes of 2015. It was SO hard to narrow it down but I was determined. I mean really I could keep going until I got to 100. But since this is the year I moved 1300 miles away and basically quit blogging for a while to make that happen, I figured if there was ANY year I could narrow ruthlessly, it was this one.

While I loved so many, I decided to show you the ones I wear over and over. That's not easy, since I'm swatching and wear-testing so much, I rarely get the chance to wear things more than once. I will tell you that if A-England Sleeping Palace qualified for 2015, it would still be on the list as it is the one I wear a lot. Still. Forever.




Because I've been so busy with life and changes, I don't even remember if I had time to BUY mainstream brands, so these are all "indies."



Friday, December 18, 2015

Essie Starry Starry Night - New Version Vs Original: Comparison Request!


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Comparison Request
Essie Starry Starry Night: Original vs New Version




So...how close IS the New Essie Starry Starry Night to the Original? Catch me after the jump...


The Digit-al Dozen Traditions: Doctor Who Christmas Special


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The tradition to out-tradition ALL traditions for me is the Doctor Who Christmas Special. This year I'm particularly excited because RIVER SONG with Peter Capaldi!

This is quite possibly the worst TARDIS I've done so far, but hey, you can tell what it is so there ya go!




For this mani I used the new Crowstoes for the January A Box Indied (not available until January - sent for review) called Revise Your Demise as my base - the rest is acrylic paints.

Get it? wHO wHO wHO? hehe

Are you a Whovian? Excited to see Alex Kingston and Peter Capaldi together? I'm practically doing a drunk monkey dance over here.

If I could've drawn his eyebrows or her hair, I totally would have.


Be sure to check out all the other great Traditions manis in the links below!











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Thursday, December 17, 2015

Salon Perfect Limited Edition Holiday GIVEAWAY! ENDED

Press Sample 


Giveaway ENDED - Winners have been displayed in the widget below and emailed! THANK YOU!



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How about a HUGE Giveaway???

I have FOURTEEN 6-pc Limited Edition Salon Perfect Holiday Polishes to 14 winners! And 4 of these are ONLY available to be won - not sold in stores!

Because time is short and Salon Perfect wants to get these to 14 lucky winners hopefully in time for Christmas, this giveaway will end on Saturday the 19th at 11:59 PM.





The Digit-al Dozen Does Traditions: Christmas Wreath


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Back again! It's still hard for me to try to think of Traditions because we didn't really "do" holidays. But every year since I've been grown, whether or not I put up a tree, I always put out a wreath.




For this mani, I used a base of Salon Perfect Sugar Cube (purchased by me)  - the rest is all acrylic paints.

Be sure to check all of the other great Traditions manis in the links below!














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My Indie Polish: New Year's Eve Trio: Swatches and Review

Press Sample 
*These products are Cruelty Free 


My Indie Polish
New Year's Eve Trio





Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Digit-al Dozen Does Traditions: Jingle Bells


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Hello everyone! I'm jumping in mid-week to this week's Digital Dozen - Traditions. Thankfully I didn't have the traditional flu, but I did have a migraine which delayed my participation.

It also interrupted my "creative juices" and diminished my ability to do decent nail art, but I've always said you get the nail art fails along with the successes, so...




For this mani, I did an "Extend-a-Mani" because I just didn't have it in me to start from scratch. I was going on day 3 of Chanel Vamp, so I used Pure Ice Silver Mercedes for the bells and acrylic paints for the ribbons. (All purchased by me.)

It's not exactly a "fail" but all I see when I look at it cropped closely are the mistakes and polish wear LOL! We're always hardest on ourselves I think.

Growing up, the only "traditions" I had were watching old Christmas movies like It's a Wonderful Life, Christmas in Connecticut and Remember the Night (both with Barbara Stanwyck, the best actress EVER), Holiday Inn and Young at Heart - possibly not considered a "classic" Christmas movie, but it was on every year and was set during Christmas - Doris Day and Frank Sinatra. We were pretty poor and I didn't have a family really "into" holidays. So I'd sit and dream about what sort of Christmases I'd have when I grew up. Best laid plans...HA!

Please be sure to check out the other great Digital Dozen creations of their special traditions in the links below.





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Monday, December 14, 2015

Paint Box Polish NYE Duo/Set - Swatches and Review

Press Sample 
*These products are Cruelty Free 


Happy Monday! Yes, that's me wishing today will be happy, not a definitive statement that it IS happy. However, if you want your NYE to be happy, I do have some bling to show you that will help!

Paint Box Polish New Year's Eve Duo/Set
Poppin' Bottles and Strawberries & Champagne Mani Fizz





Friday, December 11, 2015

KBShimmer Birthstone Collection 2016 - PRESS RELEASE

Press Release


KBShimmer Press Release



Hello All!  We are super excited to announce the KBShimmer Birthstone 2016 Collection!

This collection, inspired by each month's traditional, modern or alternative birthstone, is in a new finish for us. It's a metallic type finish with holo sparkle and micro-small metallic flakes.  If Foiled and Yule Worthy had a baby, and added sparkle, this collection would be it! Each polish has a “glow” to it and is streak free. 





Official release date 01/01/2016 at KBShimmer.

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KBShimmer was founded in 2008 by the husband and wife team of Jason and Christy Rose. KBShimmer offers unique and colorful nail glitter nail polishes that are Big 3 Free, with all glitter formulas being completely free of chemicals such as toluene, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and dibutyl phthalate (DBP). KBShimmer glitter polishes feature a flat glitter- grabbing brush for easy application. KBShimmer also offers a 2-free quick dry polish topcoat, olive oil lotion, sugar scrubs, lip balms, cold process soaps, and other skin care products. 

If you would like more information about KBShimmer, contact Christy Rose by emailing sales@kbshimmer.com or by visiting http://www.KBShimmer.com.



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Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Darling Diva Ho-Ho-Holiday Collection 2015 - Swatches and Review

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*These products are Cruelty Free 

Ho Ho Ho!

Tonight I have the new Darling Diva Ho-Ho-Holiday Collection for Winter 2015 for you! I have to admit, I've not been in much of a holiday mindset lately. Not my favorite time of the year really. But I do love being home where I belong and I have a feeling when it finally feels like Winter I will be blaring Christmas music and rocking Christmas manis like nobody's business! Wearing these really helped.

There are 8 new polishes in the collection, two of which are toppers.

Meet me after the jump for swatches and reviews...

Darling Diva Polish
Ho-Ho-Holiday Collection



Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Literary Lacquers 2015 Community Collection: Swatches and Review

Press Sample 
*These products are Cruelty Free 


It's time! Time for the 3rd annual Community Collection from Literary Lacquers! Amy of Literary Lacquers works with members of the community to curate an awesome collection each year that releases around the holidays.

Literary Lacquers
The 2015 Community Collection





Saturday, November 28, 2015

40 Great Nail Art Ideas: Cartoons!

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Happy Saturday! Not only am I a day late posting my cartoon nails, I'm also a great big ol' CHEATER!  Because of Thanksgiving, because I'm Queen Procrastinator Extraordinaire, because I'm forgetful and lastly, because I have a migraine today, I didn't create a new nail art look for this week.

Instead, I'm going to show you 17 of the many "cartoonish" nails I've done in the past. You can head over to my Nail Art Pinterest Board for more manis and for links to the original blog posts. But first, check these out and all the great manis in the links below from the rest of our Crumpet's Crew!



Minion-Nail-Art-cartoon


More after the jump!


Wednesday, November 25, 2015

My Thankfulness Bubble

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It's that time of year again, it seems. Thankfulness. Loads of "what are you thankful for" posts on Facebook. Everyone sharing Thanksgiving memes and being "kind" to one another. Or at least putting forth the semblance of being kind.





I usually just ignore. "The holidays" aren't my favorite and all of the sugary-sweet posts just make me feel cynical. Sure, I know some of the people well enough to know whether their hearts are behind these things and whether, in some cases, they're absolutely NOT. Maybe they don't know another way to express it?

So what IS it that really irritates me and makes me feel totally cynical? Insincerity is part of it I think. Mainly though I think it's more wondering where this attitude of thankfulness is for the rest of the year. Sure, it is great to be thankful and I don't want people to stop posting what they want to post. But for crying out loud, don't just post a meme - SHOW IT! Show some action to go with it. Show a general, overall attitude of thankfulness every day.

So what am I thankful for? So many things. But rather than list a bunch of things, which I'll likely do anyway, please just tell me you see my daily attitude of thankfulness. Because it's there. Every single day I am thankful. 

There's this thing that happens to me (and I'm hoping it's not just me and yet another indication that I'm crazy) when my mind gets so flooded with thought that all of the individual things just sort of come together into a big ball of jumbled thought-bubble. It forms and floats around and if you were to pop it, a million thoughts would fall out that would take forever to sort through. So I guess I'm saying that I have a "thankfulness bubble."





My Thankfulness Bubble is packed full all the time. Packed with small things like the smell of freshly cut grass and the saltiness of bacon all the way to big things like my best friend and the love of a good dog. There are a myriad of things in between like my eyesight and the fact that I have two healthy legs to carry me and a God I love and believe in. From the smell of coffee all the way to the men and women in the military who risk their lives for freedom. From every heartache I've ever experienced and learned from to the technology that keeps me connected to the people I love. Thankful to be HOME. For the the beautiful full moon tonight. And thankful that the wind doesn't blow at 50 mph here all the time.

Wait. What was that? I'm thankful for heartache? Absolutely without a doubt I am SO thankful for every bit of pain and heartache. Why? Because it taught me. It made me stronger. And without it, I wouldn't be able to experience or appreciate the joys in life. I wouldn't be me.

For more of my thoughts of that see my post here: Thank Goodness for Quilted Toilet Paper

So I will go enjoy Thanksgiving with friends and family tomorrow. I'm thankful for that because I haven't always had it. There have been quite a few Thanksgiving days spent alone.  Which makes me all the more thankful now.

But rest assured that I find thankfulness every single day. In everything. Life's just much better that way.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and Happy Every Day too. Today, tomorrow and always!





Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. 
It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. 
It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. 
~ Melody Beattie



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Crowstoes: Holographic Principle Collection - Swatches and Review & Black Friday Details!

Press Sample 
*These products are Cruelty Free 


I'm baaaaaack! I know I'm inundating you with posts today but Black Friday, yo! This time I have a new Crowstoes Collection for you! And it was inspired by an episode of The Big Bang Theory.

Crowstoes Nail Color
Holographic Principle Collection




Pahlish Confectioner's Castle Duo for Black Friday 2015 - Swatches and Review

Press Sample 
*These products are Cruelty Free 


Pahlish Confectioner's Castle Duo
for Black Friday 2015





Pahlish: Black Friday Bespokes 2015 - Swatches and Review (and a FREE Polish!)

Press Sample 
*These products are Cruelty Free 


I don't know about everyone else, but you couldn't DRAG ME from the safety of my house on Black Friday. But stop shopping? LOL not even. On-line bay-bee!

I have the Black Friday Bespokes from Pahlish for you today! AND a special LE FREE POLISH for any orders over $50 called Little Rebel Droid!





Monday, November 23, 2015

Nail of the Day: CbL Her Red Hair - A Nailland Hungary Exclusive

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*This product is Cruelty Free 


Happy Monday! Today I have a very quick Nail of the Day for you...Colors by Llarowe Her Red Hair, a Nailland Hungary Exclusive.




More swatches after the jump!


Saturday, November 21, 2015

Scofflaw Nail Varnish: Limited Edition Holiday Duo 2015 - Swatches and Review

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Press Sample 
*These products are Cruelty Free 

Happy Saturday!

Today marks the first day it's honestly going to be COLD here so it's a great day to show you the new Scofflaw Nail Varnish Duo for the 2015 holiday season!


Scofflaw Nail Varnish
Holiday Duo 2015




Wednesday, November 18, 2015

A Box Indied Reloaded: December 2015 - Swatches and Review

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*These products are Cruelty Free 

A Box Indied: Reloaded!
December 2015

Hi everyone! Are you ready for the re-launch of the A Box Indied??? Me too! As you may know, things have changed up a bit. They have more things in store for future boxes but the main change is that it's no longer a subscription service.

Every month, on the 1st and 2nd, there will be an open pre-order. Once the pre-order is closed, everyone works to get all orders shipped out over the following week to 2 weeks. So by the 15th of each month all orders will have been dispatched to their new homes.

Swatches for the next box will be available on or before the 23rd of the month prior.

More details about the packaging are forthcoming.

For now, though, I do have swatches of all 5 of the polishes in the first new box!

Meet me after the jump for swatches and review!





Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Colors by Llarowe: Winter 2015 Collection - Swatches and Review

Press Sample 
*These products are Cruelty Free 

Hey everyone! I'm going to keep the chatter to a minimum and head right into this one because there are 12 new shades in the Colors by Llarowe Winter 2015 Collection. *holds nose and dives head first*

Colors by Llarowe
Winter 2015 Collection




Swatches after the jump...


Press Release: Girly Bits HOCUS POCUS Collection Special Pricing Ending SOON!

Press Release



Time is running out for you to save when you purchase the entire Hocus Pocus collection.
Get the entire collection NOW for $84
After Thursday, November 19th the collection will return to the regular price of $91CAD *POOF* just like that!
Swatches courtesy of Cosmetic Sanctuary
Happy Shopping!
Pam
Founder/Creator
www.girlybitscosmetics.com
Girly Bits Cosmetics is a Canadian company that has been handcrafting quality nail polish since 2011 in a dazzling array of colours and finishes. As a brand dedicated to providing cruelty free, on-trend and unique products, Girly Bits Cosmetics is well known for outstanding customer service, charitable donations and custom nail polishes dedicated to lost loved ones. Available at 6 on-line retailers around the globe, and a growing number of brick and mortar stores, you can be sure to easily find the season’s hottest new shades, as well as timeless customer favourites.

To see my post/swatches of the HOCUS POCUS Collection, click here!



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Monday, November 16, 2015

Girly Bits: Holiday Magic Collection - Swatches and Review (and some nail art)

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*These products are Cruelty Free 


I'm back with a new Holiday Collection from Girly Bits!

Girly Bits
Holiday Magic Collection






Holiday Magic

From Girly Bits: This collection consists of 9 classic holiday colours with Girly Bits flair. I am excited to have collaborated with Megan Edwards to bring you a stunning collection of sparkly goodness for the holiday. Megan is a spokesperson for Girly Bits as well as a model and is immersed in the fashion and entertainment scene in Vancouver, Canada. She is currently with Virgin Radio, as well as a panelist on CTV news: Fame Factor.

Catch me after the jump for swatches!

Friday, November 13, 2015

The Digit-al Dozen: Inspired by Pinterest - Abstract Floral and Plaid

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Another Digital Dozen week comes to an end *sadness* - so of course I have my final mani and a "fail" for you.

Once I stopped thinking about looking for manicures on Pinterest and just looked for other things that inspired me, I wasn't "stuck" anymore! So I ended up with 3 manis for today but my favorite one I'm saving for Christmas!

This was inspired by a Vasilj Godzh photograph.




I used KBShimmer Eclipse (sent for review) and white acrylic paint.

And this was my inspiration...




As for the "fail" well it's not really a total fail. It was actually really pretty at arm's length and I wore it for a few days. The problem was twofold though. When you crop for the closeup, it looks messy and I just couldn't stop adding lines! Unfortunately it's not like getting dressed and looking in the mirror one last time and then taking one thing off before leaving.  LOL!





I used Zoya Dove and Salon Perfect Sugar Cube (both purchased by me) and black acrylic paint.

This was my inspiration photo...



Such a cute dress!




Be sure to check the links below for all the other great Pinterest-inspired manis!


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40 Great Nail Art Ideas: Your Job

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Hi everyone! Happy Friday the 13th! Today I have some job-related nail art for you to tie in with Crumpet's Nail Tarts 40 Great Nail Art Ideas JOB prompt!

Y'all this was hard for some reason and you'd think since I now work for Colors by Llarowe it would have been a no-brainer for me. Nope - I'm backwards. The hardest prompts seem easy and this one stumped me LOL! I'm just happy I don't work as an escrow officer at a title company anymore.

So this is what I came up with...




I used a white base for the index and pinkie and did a spray marble using CbL Plum Perfect, Ice Ice Baby and Fairy Dust from the upcoming Winter 2015 collection (launching for pre-order November 23rd!) Then my attempt at the logo and a paint brush with paint swipes.


Please be sure to check the links below for MORE THAN 40 other great nail art ideas with the Your Job prompt.






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Thursday, November 12, 2015

The Digit-al Dozen: Inspired by Pinterest: Jonqal Pattern

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Hi everyone! Day 4 brings more black and white pattern. I don't know why I'm so drawn to it lately. This is a jonqal pattern (sort of a slanted checkered flag)...




Of course it looked perfect at arm's length and the zoom in and crop for the "close-up" shows all of the little mistakes LOL! But that's okay - you can definitely tell it's freehanded.

I used a base of Salon Perfect Sugar Cube and black acrylic paint.

This was the pin/inspiration...




Be sure to check the other pinterest-inspired manis in the link below!










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Wednesday, November 11, 2015

THE DIGIT-AL DOZEN: Inspired by Pinterest: Black and White Swirl

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The Digit-al Dozen
Inspired by Pinterest


Today I have a mani that was inspired by a pin of a Brian Wu photograph. Abstract black and white swirls.




Not sure why I'm so into black and white lately! My entire week is black and white for some reason. I saw a pin of a black and white swirl photograph by Brian Vu and thought it was cool.

I used KBShimmer Eclipse for the black (press sample) and Salon Perfect Sugar Cube for the white...and a toothpick.

Obviously such a random design can't be "copied" but it did inspire me.




Be sure and check the links below for the other pinterest-inspired manis from the DD gang today!












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