Mani Monday... The Darkest Kiss always requires a Thank You..

*Gift, Purchased, Affiliate Link*

Hello Lovelies,

   I am back with another Mani Monday post after forever. During the holidays, quite honestly EVERYTHING was crazy. Then after the holidays not only did my kids get the flu but they also shared that horrible plague with me as well. So needless to say that my nails were horribly neglected and quite frankly they looked like shit.  I know I should hang my head in shame over that fact but I just recently started doing my nails again which is horribly sad and I wanted to get back into the swing of posting manis and beauty posts since I have been doing nothing but reviews. So this is the first of many new Mani Monday posts and if you follow me on Instagram you would have actually seen my poor attempt to film trying to capture the holo. However I did manage to capture hints of it here and there on film. 

I used the following polishes for this mani
Opi Base Coat
Gothic Gala Lacquer Darkest Kiss
Pure Ice Superstar (for stamping on the thumb and the ring finger)
Born Pretty Store Stamping Plate BP-12 (use discount code KLH10 to save some money)
Gothic Gala Lacquer Thank You Flake Top Coat
Vapid Lacquer's Fast Drying Top Coat.

   I hope that you enjoyed this Mani Monday installment and until next time lovelies!

Dreadful where are you??

Hello lovelies!
    I wanted to stop by and make a quick post since I have been missing for over a week. While I will freely admit that I have NOT been abducted by aliens.

However, alien abductions would be more pleasant that what I am dealing with.

   I am stuck with trying to fix a giant shit storm of fuck ups for my upcoming wedding this Saturday which there WILL be a giant blog about later on. I have been nice and patient when it comes to the issues that have developed with the venue. However I feel like this on the inside...

Me on the inside

                                        And having to be both polite and firm on the outside

Damn straight .. Preach it Xena!

 

     However I feel like this right now....

    

So I promise I will be back next week with more manis, makeup and a massive story of my wedding nightmare that I am still hoping will turn out okay. Either that or I will be so tanked that it won't matter.

Pass me that bottle Patsy..

   So until next time lovelies!

Mani Monday : Featuring Sea Witch, Prince Eric and Under the Sea from Carpe Noctem Cosmetics

Hello Lovelies!
   Welcome back again to another edition of Mani Monday! Today I am featuring sneak peaks from part of the Grotto, a Little Mermaid inspired collection, from Carpe Noctem Cosmetics. Carpe Noctem is run by a super sweet lady named Emily and she has a fan group on Facebook where she was kind (or possibly evil since these immediately made me want them) enough to share some awesome sneak peaks of her new line of semi permanent polishes* (there are 10 in all and a special polish version of "Dinglehopper") and offered a pre-order of some or all of the collection to the group before the release date of May 16th .  While the entire collection looks amazing, my budget only allowed three this time and I immediately chose Sea Witch, Prince Eric and Under the Sea. Just take a look at them!

Sea Witch and Prince Eric on the accent nail

Sea Witch with Under the Sea on the accent nail.

Sea Witch is a gorgeous medium to dark purple linear holo that just simply shines in the sunlight as fabulous as Ursula herself.  Prince Eric is a true black linear holo which just reminds me a perfect combination of Eric's dark hair and light eyes. Finally, Under the Sea is what I would consider a light medium based blue linear holo almost as magical as Triton's kingdom itself.  The minis seen here were only available for the pre-order but I will definitely be purchasing the full size bottles when these are done.
*Now you may be asking what is a semi permanent line?* Basically, it depends on how well this collection sells whether or not if it will be part of her permanent line. So don't wait for these beauties because they may disappear into the vault if you do. So be sure to head over to Carpe Noctem Cosmetics on May 16th to get your hands on this collection.  I hope that you enjoyed this edition of Mani Monday and until next time lovelies!

Mani Monday: Featuring Ashley Rose from Ruby White Tips

Hello Lovelies!
   I am back again this Monday with another addition of Mani Monday and this time I am presenting Ashley Rose from Ruby White Tips. This was my first purchase from RWT and my first time purchasing a thermal (color changing ) polish. It applies as a light purple but when it gets cold it turns a darker purple!  So with one mani you have endless polish possibilities throughout the day! Especially if you are easily amused as I was when I first applied it I was constantly sticking my hands in Mr Dreadful's face after subjecting my nails to various water temps. So needless to say, I am now officially hooked on both thermals and polishes from RWT. This polish is currently still available on Ruby White Tips Etsy however it is a limited edition color so go grab a bottle while you still can. She also points out that thermals only have a limited color changing lifetime of a year and while still will be a gorgeous color it might not change color after the year is up.  But enough of my yapping and on with the photos.

Just check out how cute the bottle is! Taken in natural light

Ashley Rose (with my new adventures in nail stamping) applied with 3 coats in natural light

Ashley Rose after I dunked my fingers in ice water for a couple of seconds. Check out that color change!

    So if you are wanting multiple manis in one bottle, thermal polishes are the way to go! If you just want an amazing polish, head over to Ruby White Tips on Etsy and order yourself a bottle of Ashley Rose and you won't be disappointed!

**The lovely owner, Laura contacted me and now is offering a special discount code to all of you! Use code DIVINE15 to get 15% off your purchases from RWT! Thank you so much Laura! <3 **

Until Next Time Lovelies!

Mani Monday with Carpe Noctem Cosmetics!

Hello lovelies!
    Welcome to the first installment of a new series called Mani Monday! I have recently developed a polish addiction and I wanted to share my looks with you. I may even share my learning attempts with stamping as well. For my first Mani Monday I started with another indie polish company Carpe Noctem Cosmetics. Today, I am wearing Diva D in Diamonds inspired by the amazing Diva in The Fifth Element, which is one of my favorite movies, and Gifford Gorgeous on my accent nails.

Diva D and Gifford  Gorgeous from Carpe Noctem Cosmetics.

Both of these colors are on the lighter side of blue and purple which I am trying out since I am such a bold and bright or dark and vampy girl. Both took three coats in order to the opacity that I wanted and top off with Seche Vite's fast drying top coat cause I hate waiting for polish to dry. I always manage to smear it or dent it.  Diva D in Diamonds is part of her regular stock while Glifford would be considered a special order so you would have to order a custom polish.  I really wish that I was able to get a nice sunny picture of this mani but it looks like it is finally going to rain since it has been grey and overcast all day. Here is a nice sunny image of Diva for those of you curious to see what it looks like out in the sun (rather than indoors) back when my nails were longer.

A lovely sunny pic of Diva D in Diamonds

The two rings are from the Born Pretty Store (use code KLH10 for a discount off your purchase). While they are not listed as knuckle rings, they are for me since apparently I have "larger fingers" (I wear an 8-9 ring size) so they became kick ass knuckle rings.  I hope that you enjoyed the first Mani Monday and stay tuned for more polish looks and reviews!

Until next time lovelies!

In the Pursuit of Fabulous: Vapid Lacquer Review!

Hello again lovelies!
   I am back this time with my first ever actual polish review! Recently I have been delving into the vast world of indie polishes. I will freely admit that as a beginner it was a bit overwhelming with various terms such as jelly and crelly, holos and thermals, I was a bit lost at the beginning. So, I did what any beginner would do and looked for an awesome polish to slather on my nails, definition be damned! By sheer dumb luck I managed to stumble across an awesome indie shop called Vapid Lacquer. I was enchanted with all the nail pretties on her page and seduced by the sale that was going on that I broke down and bought not one but two amazing polishes.

First up is the gorgeous Grape Stomp. Seriously take a look at it and just gaze into the purple holographic abyss....

Grape Stomp from Vapid Lacquer..look at all that holo goodness! 

  Now, that you have drooled and oohed and ahhed over it (cause I know I did after painting my nails with it for the first time) it is described as a vivid purple jelly that is packed with linear holo. While I do have to say that this description hits the nail right on the head, I am going to have add some more colorful adjectives to my own description. This bright medium purple nail polish isn't just packed with holo it is EXPLODING with it! It is billion of little stars were sprinkled on my nails every time the light hit it. I was entranced and bewitched with not only the color but the staying power as well.

Now on the the second color...Delusional

While this isn't the best mani photo ever I wanted to post it due to the holo capture and the fact that this is polish after 5 DAYS!

Now the site has it listed an olive to violet/blue shift with a linear holo that makes you think twice of what color you actually have on your nails. This is a true chameleon color. It constantly changes color depending on the light and and the holo makes it just looks like a universe on my finger tips.  I couldn't decide on what color it really was but it was just an explosion of of sparkles!

Enough yammering and on with my review...

Color/ Finish Variety- 9 out of 10 bats

    I have to say that Vapid Lacquer has a really nice variety of color and finishes in her shop. She not only has a nice variety of colors from lighter more pastel colors to the darker vampy colors that I love to slather on my nails.

Application & Formula- 9 out of 10 bats

  Both polish had a great formula that wasn't too thin or too thick. They were easy to apply to no major issues and both polishes too 2-3 coats for full opacity.

Staying Power/ Durability-10 out of 10 bats

  If you have read my reviews before you know that getting a 10 out of 10 for something is something that RARELY happens since I am such a stickler for it. I think that giving constant 10 out of 10s takes away from the awesomeness that it takes to achieve what I think is perfection. I won't lie I am horribly hard on my nails. I have three kids so that means I am a CONSTANTLY doing dishes and laundry and everything else under the sun. This polish lasts and lasts and lasts. The photo of Delusional is after 5 DAYS. Yes, that is right, polish that normally doesn't last more than 2- 3 days without chipping (with a base coat and a top coat ) on me. This one lasted a full week. Color me impressed.

Affordability- 9 out of 10 bats

   When I first dived head long into the world of indie polish I will say that I was both shocked and surprised at the price. These are run of the mill polishes that you are going to find at your local Walmart for 1.99. Don't get me wrong, I am on a tight budget just like everyone else so I have to spend my dollars wisely. While 5-10 dollar polishes are a bit pricey for your budget, Vapid Lacquer does tons of flash sales and regular sales throughout the month were you can spend without crying into your empty wallet later. 

Customer Service- 9.5 out of 10 bats

   Vapid Lacquer also has superior customer service. I pre ordered a bottle of her "Shattered Rainbows" polish (look for that review in the next week or so) and she was a dream to deal with. She answered my questions about it and really impressed me with her knowledge and professionalism. 

Shipping/ Turn Around Time- 9 out of 10 bats

   While I don't know if this is a big issue for polishes but I do know that it is a rather big deal for ordering makeup so that is why I included this rating. Her shipping and turn around time were fantastic. If I remember correctly it look a little over a week for these lovely bottles to be packaged up securely and in my hot little hands. 

Overall- 9.5 out of 10 bats

    Overall I have to say that I am really in love with Vapid Lacquer, not only does she create some really incredible polishes that make me ohh and ahh like a little kid when staring at my nails she is the utmost professional with handling orders, questions and processing them and getting these lovely polishes in my greedy little hands. I wouldn't hesitate to order from her again (and I have in fact and I plan to again soon..and perhaps next time I will try some of her lovely soap). So be sure to check out Vapid Lacquer . You won't be disappointed. 

Until Next Time lovelies!