Pointless Cafe

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Hebridean Sprite Beauty - Underhill

It's not often I am so totally blown away by a single polish. I mean I have a lot of great polishes, so it really takes something extra special to make my mouth drop to the floor. And it's celtic-themed so you know I'm ALL OVER THAT!

Before I show you, though, here's what Krista, the owner, had to say when I asked her to tell me a little about her company:

I was actually inspired by all the chunky glitters and I kept thinking to myself, I could make something more unique and sophisticated. I have had ideas on my own cosmetics line for over a year, just keeping a list of names I'd like to do something based on and colour combos, but I decided to finally do it this summer after I graduated. I had had a very stressful last couple semesters and wanted to do something fun and creative but still something with a point or purpose. I researched my butt off and asked a bunch of people for help and decided I wanted to do a nail polish line first. Plus as I'm Scottish through both my parents and I love Celtic mythology I wanted the main polish line to be named after Scottish and Irish folklore. This then expanded into other mythological stories (like Phoenix and Centaurs) but the celtic theme has always been something that meant a lot to me, which is why my blog and now my little itty bitty company is named Hebridean Sprite Beauty because I've always felt amazed and awed when I'm in Scotland and when I visited the Scottish Hebrides, they felt truly magical.

Now for something on the company itself. We're 100% cruelty-free and vegan. I only buy cruelty-free cosmetics and I think cosmetics isn't something that needs animal testing- animals shouldn't have to suffer for a person to look good. There aren't any animal by-products in any of my ingredients either. I triple check my ingredients to make sure there aren't anything like Carmine, Silk, guanine, etc. I wanted to make the line vegan because I know that it can be difficult to find vegan options for people so inclined and seeing as there are so many other options available now I've strived to learn to formulate without animal by-products. On top of that I've included all my ingredients for each product individually on the product page- not a may contain or one single ingredient listing for everything. My polishes are big three free as well and only use Stainless Steel BB balls and specifically solvent-resistant glitters.

Each polish includes a little card that includes an image of the mythological creature the polish was inspired by, a bit of history about the myth and a summary of my inspiration for the polish colour.

They are $10 USD each on storenvy- http://spritebeauty.storenvy.com

I have a two polish minimum order at the moment (due to shipping from Canada issues).

Over the next few days, THESE are the polishes I will be showing you: Underhill (NOW!) Loch Ness Monster, Brownie Helper and Banshee Scream

I am so impressed by the quality but mostly how UNIQUE these are. I picked my favorite to show you first, Underhill. And how cute are these cards? They tell the story behind the name and inspiration. Genius.

Hebridean Sprite Beauty Underhill

Underhill is a dark blue jelly with copper shimmer, bronze glitter, sapphire holo glitter pieces and sparks of green. There's also some sort of color-shifting element too - just wait until you see the photos! I used three coats of this one with no top coat for all photos.

Hebridean Sprite Beauty Underhill

Can you even believe this polish? What do you think? Stay tuned for the other 4 I'll be showing you in the coming few days.

She launched her brand on October 1, 2012! Cruelty-Free and Vegan!

You can purchase this one, and the others in her new line, at her StoreEnvy Store here for $10 for a full-sized 15 ml bottle. Also follow her Facebook Page, her blog here and her Pinterest here.

*PR Samples provided for my honest review

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a-England Lady of Shalott - Swatches and Review

a-England has recently released five new polishes called the Gothic Beauties Collection. a-England is one of my all-time favorite brands so I knew I had to have them even if swatches were indicating that they would all read black on me. So I pre-ordered them directly from Adina as soon as I could. The formula is absolutely amazing, as always - on all five of them. The Gothic Beauties Collection was inspired by and named for characters in well-known gothic literature. Literature, especially of this genre, is a passion of mine, so I was thrilled to see them!

These are all (except Dorian Gray) in a blackened base and meant to be dark and mysterious. Lady of Shalott is a blue shimmer in a blackened base with micro-particles of blue and pink/purple, giving it a wonderful depth. Inspired by the poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson in which the Lady of Shalott, put away in a tower, is forced to view Camelot through a mirror as gazing upon it directly would result in bringing about a terrible curse. But when Lancelot rides by, she can't help herself and gazes upon him directly, bringing about the curse. To save everyone else from the curse, she leaves the tower and takes a boat on the river. She dies along the way and Lancelot comes upon her and is stunned by her beauty, even in death.

I only used one coat of this one for full opacity. Perfect formula and perfect coverage. One coat of Nails Inc. Caviar Top Coat. The first 3 photos are in strong lighting and the last is showing you how it will look about 99% of the time and in most lighting.

a-England Lady of Shalott

And below is how it will look most of the time. Sort of like sexy, midnight blue lingerie...hidden but waiting to show itself off.

a-England Lady of Shalott

What do you think of this one? You can see the others in the Gothic Beauties Collection that I've swatched so far by clicking on the name. Tess d-Urbervilles, Dorian Gray and Dorian Gray vs a-England King Arthur.

A-England has just put the Gothic Beauties Collection on their website and they offer free international delivery. You can also order through Ninja Polish, MeiMei's Signatures, Overall Beauty and Llarowe. And of course, you can always stay up to date on their latest release by following a-England on Facebook and Twitter! Also follow Ninja Polish on Facebook, Overall Beauty on Facebook and Llarowe on Facebook and MeiMei's Signatures on Facebook for more updates, availability and re-stock information.

If you enjoyed this post, please take a second to "like" it! Thanks!

Monday, October 1, 2012

Enchanted Polish Electric Daisy - Swatches and Review

Whew - Monday's finally over. How about something pretty?

Enchanted Polish Electric Daisy is a very girly bubblegum pink with a subtle linear holo. Application was easy and formula was great. This is 3 coats with no top coat on all but the middle finger - I've layered 2 coats over Enchanted Polish Disco Barbie. You do not need to layer this one, but I wanted to see how it looked.

Enchanted Polish Electric Daisy

What do you think of this one? I like that it's color-saturated enough to look good on my pale skin. There are a lot of pinks, expecially pastels, that really look horrible on me. I felt so girly!

Enchanted Polish Electric Daisy can be purchased through MeiMei's Signatures and Harlow & Company. Be sure to follow MeiMei's Signatures on Facebook, Harlow & Company on Facebook, and Enchanted Polish on Facebook for information, availability and updates. Enchanted Polishes retail for $15 for a full .5 oz bottle.

*PR Sample provided for my honest review

If you enjoyed this post, please take a second to "like" it! Thanks!

Tip Top Nails

Happy Monday! This morning I have 4 polishes from Tip Top Nails to show you from their new line Nail Addict.

Tip Top Nails is a South African brand that I hope will be offered soon by a US distributor. For now, they are only available through Tip Top's website. Tip Top Nails' Nail Addict and treatments are toxin free and are FREE of: Formaldehyde, Toluene, DBP (Dibuthyl Phthalate) & Camphor. AND they are a Cruelty Free Brand!

The ones I'll be showing you today are Clockwork Orange, Envy, Let Me Be and Oh So Natural.

I found all 4 of these to be highly pigmented and very smooth and easy in formula and application. All photos are with no top coat so you can see that they dry to a high shine.

First up, Clockwork Orange. This one is just wow. Clockwork Orange is a bright orange creme that is almost neon in appearance. Two coats for full opacity. I had no issues with it at all and the application was really great.

Tip Top Nails Nail Addict Clockwork Orange

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Envy is a teal creme with a lovely blue shimmer. Same formula and application as Clockwork Orange - creamy and smooth and opaque in 2 coats. No issues at all.

Tip Top Nails Nail Addict Envy

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Let Me Be is a medium pink creme. Classic. Same as the other - easy application and creamy formula. Two coats for full opacity but I did need to use a light 3rd coat to even it out.

Tip Top Nails Nail Addict Let Me Be

Shown below with one coat of Oh So Natural over Let Me Be on the accent nail.

Tip Top Nails Nail Addict Let Me Be with Oh So Natural accent

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Finally, I have Oh So Natural. This one is a pinky-peach toned nude with a golden shimmer. I expected it to be more sheer and to get streaky application and brush marks but I was pleasantly surprised. The application was great - same as the others. Two coats for full opacity.

Tip Top Nails Nail Addict Oh So Natural

What do you think of these? I love that they're so dedicated to the toxin-free, cruelty-free aspects. My favorite of these 4 was Clockwork Orange. It's so bright and cheerful! And I like that it's dark enough not to be "only" a summer color. Although, that shimmer in Envy is pretty awesome.

These are not yet available in the US, but they are working on a distributor for here as I write this! You can check out their website here and also follow them on Facebook page for photos, updates, availability and other information. If you would like to purchase directly from their site, the polishes are VERY reasonable, but the shipping is a little steep at the moment...you can contact Joan at info@tiptopnails.co.za.

*PR Samples provided for my honest review

If you enjoyed this post, please take a second to "like" it! Thanks!

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