Rabu, 31 Juli 2013

Here We Go! Mish Mash Challenge, Week 1 - Purple Fan Brush Nail Art

Nothing to Disclose

*Product(s) Featured purchased by KLK, with the exception of NPB Elle La Vend Aire. Please see Disclaimer/Legal Page for more information** 

Hello Lovelies! Today marks the beginning of a new nail art challenge for us ladies, and I am so thrilled! I tend to do a lot of Indie Polish swatches, which I love, but I miss nail art. These challenges give me an opportunity to squeeze some in, and to hang out (virtually anyway!) with all of the awesome bloggers that join in these challenges.

This mani is late, but hey, it's my Mom's Birthday, and also one of my busiest days in weeks. I was running around like a chicken on speed all day. Now I am about ready to fall over, but I have swatching to do. And it's important. I MUST show you more of the Fandom Cosmetics Daft Punk Collection. I simply must!

This week's challenge is..dun dun dun! PURPLE! Now there's a color I can get behind. I swear, it would have been yellow I may have curled up under my polish table and hid. As much as I love yellow, yellow nail art is the bain of my existence. Anyway, it's purple, which is awesome.

For this mani I decided that I wanted to play around a bit. I love Fan Brush Nails, but they seem to be everywhere lately. The last Fan Brush Nails I created (way back at the end of the 31 Day Challenge) came out so awesome that I knew I wanted to do it again, but I wanted to see if I could blend the colors a bit more to create more a slab-o-marble type effect.

I started with a base of Nail Pattern Boldness Elle La Vend Aire, a gorgeous Lilac Crelly. Then I grabbed my trusty (yet incredibly cheap) Fan Brush and used OPI Vant To Bite My Neck for the first set of stripes. Then, while Vant To Bite My Neck was still wet,  I used Orly Wild Wisteria, brushing the polish on a little heavier with the fan brush and using the bristles to blend that in with VTBMN. I repeated with Orly Charged Up. The result was fun, but was lacking some pop, so I added Essie The Girls Are Out, a bright but darker Pink with silver flecks for some color. I liked that more, but...well, you know me. I just can't leave anything alone. Plus it just seemed kinda flat. I grabbed some Fuschsia rhinestones and added a simple row down the center of each nail , topped it all off with a coat od Glossy Glam and Voila! It's not perfect, and certainly not rocket science, but it's fun and a neat effect. I must have done something right since while I was out and about today I had a good 15 people asking how I did it. That's a good sign, right?








Ok, so it's not *exactly* like a slab of marble, but I do dig the effect. The big downside for me is the spots between and next to the rhinestones where the top coat settled. Thankfully not as evident in IRL.

What do you guys think of this mani? Do you prefer the usual Fan Brush Technique or with some blending?

Don't forget to check out all my awesome polish sistah's and their Week One Purple Nails!






I'll be be back tomorrow with some Fandom Cosmetics! I also have more from Love Angeline, Luscious Potion, and Gypsyanna Polish coming up!

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!
-Kimber




*Product(s) Featured purchased by KLK, with the exception of NPB Elle La Vend Aire. Please see Disclaimer/Legal Page for more information** 

Nothing to Disclose

Pride!

Many of you are probably aware of the anti-LGBT stuff happening in Russia at the moment and if not I urge you to do some research in the subject. I am 100% pro-gay and the witch-hunting of homo-, bi- and transsexuals just disgust me. Love is always love, no matter who you love! It's as simple as that. 
Furthermore, today is the start of the huge Pride-festival in Stockholm which is cause enough to bring out all the colors of the rainbow and paint your eyes. :)


I just had half an hour to do this look, that's why the blending isn't perfect...




Face
*Skin base foundation 02  (Illamasqua)
*Mineral Veil (Bare minerals)

Eyebrows
*#391 (Inglot) 

Eyes
*Medium pencil Sophie (Illamasqua)
*Jumbo Pencil Milk (NYX)
*#391 (Inglot) 
*#351 (Inglot)
*Burning heart-palette (Sugarpill)
*Sweet heart-palette (Sugarpill)
*Heartbreaker-palette (Sugarpill)

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If anyone is going to tell me that being gay is evil etc., then just don't bother. I know where I stand in this question and there is nothing that is going to change my opinion! 

Thanks for reading! :)



PINES AND PATTERNS


Senin, 29 Juli 2013

Candied Lustre: HBlueO (Holo thermal!)

Press Sample

*Product(s) Featured provided for review. Please see Disclaimer/Legal Page for more information** 

Hello Lovelies! Man, It has been a day. I was feeling very under the weather earlier. Had a killer headache and some nausea. Thankfully I feel much better after some rest and Ibuprofen. I honestly have no idea what would I do without Ibuprofen.

Today I have the 3rd Thermal polish from Candied Lustre's upcoming Holo Thermals (I'm working on having number 4 up either tonight or tomorrow morning!). I am just loving these polishes, guys. Thermals are just incredible fun, but add some holo and sparkle and I am over the moon.




This polish is called HBlueO, and is a soft blue to deeper, almost Indigo color, with holo dust and holo glitters. This one has a softer color change, but when I say that I don't mean that the change isn't noticeable. Believe me, it is! It's just not as dramatic as clear to color thermals. Being a serious lover of blue polish though, this is obviously a fave.

First, let's take a look at HBlueO when she's nice and warm. This is 3 coats with top coat:







Eek! I really really really (really!) love this shade of blue. It makes me look a touch washed out, but hey...with my weird skin tone? I stopped caring long ago! :) Check out that sparkle too. Love!

Now let's take a peek at HBlueO all cold and chilly. Again, I'm a bit splotchy and pink here due to the ice water. Thats what happens when you live in the desert and your hands are always HOT! I don't get that half and half color change, and my photo lights are close to the surface of the sun. Only way to grab a good color change for a photo is a bucket o' ice water. I suffer for my love of thermals. ;)






It's safe to say that I adore this color. Indigo type blues are high on my list of awesomeness, and even though is fairly soft as far as Indigo goes, it's still just gorgeous. I spent alot of time sticking my hands in front of my AC with this one.

HBlueO's formula was just fabulous to work with. It's a touch thinner than the other 2 that I've shown you, yet it wasn't runny or drippy. Application was perfection with no dragging or balding. Dry time was fast, even before top coat, and wear was stellar with no tip wear or chips at 24 hours. HBlueO dries nice and smooth as well, so no need for glitter food or gelous with this girl.

I'm really loving these Candied Lustre's. Bri really makes a stellar thermal polish! I do feel the need to mention that the holo in these is much more evident IRL - since I'm shooting in a light box it's a bit harder to capture the intensity.

Candied Lustre can be found on Etsy, however the 4 new holo thermals won't be available until after August 3rd. The shop is currently on vacation, but you can check out Candied Lustre on Facebook and Instagram for swatches, sales info and updates.

What do you lovelies think of this pretty? What's your fave thermal color combo?

I'll have the final polish from this collection ASAP (tonight or tomorrow, depending on my 3 year old's temperament!) , so be sure to check back! Tomorrow is also Try It Out Tuesday! Woohoo!!!

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!
-Kimber

*Product(s) Featured provided for review. Please see Disclaimer/Legal Page for more information**

 Press Sample

Minggu, 28 Juli 2013

Candied Lustre - Teal My Secrets (Holo Glitter Thermal!)

Press Sample

*Product(s) Featured provided for review. Please see Disclaimer/Legal Page for more information** 

Hello lovelies! Man, it feels like forever since I've posted! We have had a series of huge storms out here and my power keeps getting knocked out. On Friday, we had the biggest storm I've seen in a good decade - complete with 89mph winds, tornado sightings, flooding (in fact, a few friends were stranded in their cars, which were flooded), and 27,000 homes and business without power. PNM is actually STILL working on restoring power to some people. Luckily my power is back on, and I've been working on swatching these glorious thermals for you. I feel horrible that I haven't been able to post them sooner, but it's really hard to swatch in the dark. :)

This post has been a pest as well! I actually had to work on photographing this polish 3 times! Every time I would get photos uploaded, cropped and watermarked, my darling husband would shut down the computer without saving anything (or asking If I needed to save anything) and I would lose everything. Seriously, 3 times. Looks like I need to start saving after every single step. Crop, save. Watermark, save. Blah blah blah. It's fairly time consuming to have to go through over 200 photos, find the right ones, crop and watermark.

Anyway......

Today I have the second polish from Candied Lustre's upcoming thermal collection. This one is called Teal My Secrets, and is a light blue to vibrant teal thermal polish packed with holo dust and holo glitters.








This is the one that I first unwrapped and literally gasped when I saw the color change. Honestly, it's just so beautiful in both and warm and cold states that I get a little misty. ;) Also, I have no idea why these darn collages keep coming out so pixelated! But you get the idea, right? Let's look at some better shots of this beauty!

This is 3 coats of Teal My Secrets when warm. Sorry about the lobster hands - I use ice water to capture the color change when photographing thermals, and it makes me all sorts of pink. Thankfully, none of you are here to ogle my skin tone, right? ;)







Man, that is beautiful! I have a soft spot for sparkly light blues and this is just too pretty for words. That sparkle just give me butterflies! But.....that is nothing compared to what happens when this polish cools down.

Same polish, just cold (also, sorry about being waterlogged here. It's like my cuticles sucked in all the water and vanished or something!:






Hello!!!! That is one of the most beautiful shades of teal I have ever worn! *Fans self* I dare you to tell me that is not just stunning. The one things that I need to note here is that the holo effect is NOT as diminished as it appears here. These were taken indoors in my light box after immersing my hands in ice water, which created a bit of a glare. The holo effect is actually just as strong as when this polish is warm.

Teal My Secrets formula is, as I'm learning is customary with Candied Luster polishes, an absolute dream. No thickening, glopping, gopping, etc. Application was so darn fabulous that I didn't even have to really bother with cleanup - so easy to control. Also no dragging or balding and dry time was excellent, even before top coat. TMS dries nice and smooth, so no need for anything other than my usual top coat. Wear was fabulous with no signs of wear and tear after almost 2 days. Impressive!!!

All I can really say is...love. Just absolute love. Bri is just amazing with thermals so I was expecting nothing less than fabulous, but these are just really stealing my heart. And I still cannot get over that Teal....Rawr!

You can find Candied Lustre Polish on Etsy, and I highly recommend heading over and taking a peek. This collection is not available just yet, but will be launching in August. I promise I'll post the exact launch date as soon as I know (I know a couple of you are stalking Etsy already!). I highly recommend also following Candied Lustre on Facebook and Instagram for release updates, sales info, and more awesome swatches.

What do you think of Teal My Secrets? Are you a sucker for blues/teals like I am?

I'll be back later this evening with the 3rd beauty from this collection. The 4th and final thermal will be up tomorrow morning, so be sure to check back often! You don't want to miss any of these babies!

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!
-Kimber


*Product(s) Featured provided for review. Please see Disclaimer/Legal Page for more information** 

Press Sample

Kamis, 25 Juli 2013

Candied Lustre - Peachy Keen (Holo Glitter Thermal!)

 Press Sample

*Product(s) Featured provided for review. Please see Disclaimer/Legal Page for more information** 

Hello Lovelies! I took the day off yesterday due to an emergency with my daughter. Some of you know what's happened, but I'm not really ready to discuss it here. I know that alot of you know her story and how she was bullied so badly that she wanted to kill herself at the tender age of 10, and we'll just say that it's all related. I spent yesterday in an emotional coma, but did manage to make some calls to get her set up with a better therapy team. I'm working on swatches, but since they're thermals, it's slow going. Gotta love photographing those thermals! ;)


Today I have one of 4 brand new thermal polishes from Candied Lustre to share with you. Bri is a genius with thermals, so it was no surprise that I about fell over when I saw these. All 4 thermals are full of holo dust and holo glitters, and have a serious color shift. Let's take a peek at the first one, shall we?






















 
Peachy King is a clear to dark peach thermal. It's positively loaded with holo dust and holo glitters, so not only does it have a great shift, but the sparkle is just amazing!

First up is Peachy King in her "warm" state. I really love this polish when she 's warm. There is something about a silvery, glittery, sparkle that makes my heart skip a beat. This is 3 coats plus top coat (Click to make big):





 Beautiful..just beautiful. I love the sparkle and all the shimmery holo dust here. However, if you think that's pretty, check out Peachy King in her "cold" state!

I'll apologize now for how red my skin looks here - In order to keep the color change under photography lights I have to soak my hands in ice water for a few minutes. Needless to say, I get a touch splotchy! But you're supposed to be looking at the polish anyway. ;)












Double Love! *That* is one serious color change, folks! And what a color! I have to say that it's totally unique to my stash, which is always impressive with over 2000 polishes. I love this. Love it. I would happily spend my life with this polish (although let's be honest...I love polish. I'd totally cheat on her with another polish and then we'd just end up in a messy divorce).

Peachy King's Formula is fabulous. I honestly could not find fault with it at all. No thickening, no random chunks of pigment, no wonky glitters. Application was equally amazing with no dragging, balding, clumps of glitters etc. This girl also self levelled incredibly well, which is always a bonus. Opacity is really up to you - in her cold state, PK is fully opaque at 1-2 coats. In her warm state, she's rather sheer even with 3 coats. I don't mind some mild VNL when a polish is this beautiful though. Dry time was fast even before top coat, and PK does not dry textured at all.

This is the 4th Candied Lustre thermal that I've tried now and I have to tell ya, Bri makes a serious Thermal. If you haven't tried them yet, you are totally missing out.

Peachy King (and it's 3 sisters, which I have coming up over the next 1-2 days) are not yet available (release date TBA), but you can check out all of Bri's awesome polishes at Candied Lustre on Etsy. I urge you to check out Cafe Au Lait, one of my fave thermals of all time. Bri also makes an awesome Spectraflair topcoat and some gorgeous glitters. For sales info, new releases, and swatches, check out Candied Lustre on Instagram and Facebook.

What do you think of Peachy King? Are you excited to see the other 3 Candied Lustre Holo Thermals (you should be!)?

I'll be back tomorrow with more Candied Lustre thermal goodness (Flakie Friday is taking a break this week since I have a lot of swatches I need to get done for you lovelies)!

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!
-Kimber



*Product(s) Featured provided for review. Please see Disclaimer/Legal Page for more information** 

 Press Sample

Pretty In Punk

Haha, forgive the silly title. XD The inspiration for this look stripy tights and colorful mohawks mixed with the edginess of the goth and punk subcultures.







Face
*Skin base foundation 02  (Illamasqua)
*Mineral Veil (Bare minerals)

Eyebrows
*Jumbo Pencil Milk (NYX)
*#391 (Inglot) 
*Dollipop (Sugarpill)

Eyes
*Medium pencil Sophie (Illamasqua)
*Jumbo Pencil Milk (NYX)
*#391 (Inglot) 
*#351 (Inglot)
*Dollipop (Sugarpill)
*Gel liner Immortal (Makeup Geek)
*False lashes from Depend with glued on rhinestones

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Hope you liked the look! :) Thanks for reading!