Flakie Friday! Zoya Chloe

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

Hello Lovelies! Happy Friday!!!!!!!!! Not a payday Friday here, so it's not as exciting as it could be (especially with the ILNP Ultra-Chromes pre-order going live today. Ahhhh I want those so badly!!!), but with Friday comes Flakies, and Flakies always make things awesome.

Today's Flakie is Zoya Chloe, a mix of orange/red/gold/yellow and some green/blue duochrome mylar flakies in a barely pink tinted base. I've been in love with this since the day it was released and am seriously wondering if I am insane since I am just now wearing this pretty. Poor Chloe...she's been neglected.

I've seen Chloe paired with a number of awesome base colors, my favorite being purple, but I really wanted to try her over a dark, but not quite black color. I chose Essie Devil's Advocate, a deep plummy oxblood color.

This is 1 coat of Chloe over 2 coats of Devil's Advocate, topped with Glossy Glam. I apologize for my pinkness here - I'm working hard to moisturize and baby my hands since I'm healing from the evil blistering allergic reaction, which always seem to give me a bit of a pink flush.

Okay, I have to admit it,  I was kind of hoping the darker, plummy base would bring out a little more pink in the flakies, but I was wrong. However, this is still a beautiful combination and I'm quite happy with it. The color shift is truly amazing! How about a macro shot of those colorful flakes?

Gorgeous!!! I particularly love the Green/Blue in this one. That shift to cobalt blue just makes my heart skip. You can see a bit of the pink in the center as well, but with such a deep base color, they end up fairly washed out.

Chloe's formula is fabulous, although she does have a lot of base vs. flakies, which can make holding onto those flakies at the tip of your nails a bit of a pain. Application was wonderful, save for the aforementioned base vs. flakies issue. Dry time was average, and wear is excellent with no signs of wear at around 20 hours. These are Mylar flakies, and a bit thinner than the usual flakes, which means that they lie very flat on the nail. No need for glitter food or Gelous with Chloe. I used a single coat of Glossy Glam here and my mani is smooth as glass. I do need to mention that the tint in the base color does not have any effect on base color at all. It's so barely there that it's essentially clear.

I really wish that I had worn this flakie much sooner. I mean, look at those colors!! I must try this again over a purple so I can really see that pink shine.

What do you think of Chloe? Do you have this beauty of a Flakie in your stash?

I'll return tomorrow with some Indie awesomeness! I have a ton of Indies to share with you, including some new to me brands that will blow you away, so be sure to check back.

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!
-Kimber



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

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Flakie Friday (Super Slacker Edition!) on Sunday: Sinful Colors Daddy's Girl

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

Hello Lovelies! This post did not want to be....yet here it is! I had this ready to go on Friday evening, but my mom had chemotherapy on Monday and Friday was her bad day this time around. I was over at her house since she was dehydrated and sick as a dog. I was able to get her back to as good as possible, but she was still nauseated and icky when I left. So these photos sat on my laptop with the intent to post  them yesterday. But......when I went to watermark them....GONE! Someone had shut down the laptop without saving my photos, so I had to start all over again. With my schedule these days, I wasn't able to get them done until late last night, and I was so tired that all I could do was fall into bed.

Better late then never though, am I right? And I've learned that I really need to save my photos any time I walk away from the laptop!

For today's Flakie Friday (sunday) installment, I chose an old favorite. You're probably all familiar with Sinful Colors Daddy's Girl, an absolutely gorgeous purple jelly packed with teeny tiny, ultra-fine duochrome flakes. This was my first flakie polish, although I had no idea it had flakies at the time. It's still one of my favorites and I really should wear it more often. The duochrome in the flakies is gorgeous, although less apparent on the nail than in the bottle. The purple jelly base is so vibrant and squishy - and for just under 2 bucks you can't lose! Thankfully it's part of the core line so it's always available.

This is 3 coats of Daddy's Girl, no undies. It does make my hands lobstery, but with polish this pretty? Who cares!

Isn't this girl just gorgeous? She was tough to photograph accurately, but oh so worth it! If you take a peak at the bottle ins ome of these shots, you can see the duochrome shine. I do wish it translated to the nail a bit more, but hey...it's still awesome!

Daddy's Girl also has one of the nicest formulas of all my Sinfuls. No dragging or balding, but she can get a tough thick while you're polishing so I keep my thinner handy. Application is easy peasy, although she is a touch sheer so you will need at least 3 coats if you want full opacity. I also recommend a quick drying top coat since this baby does take a bit to dry.

I think this polish will always have a place in my top 10. There is something about purple jellies that just make my heart sing.

What do you think of Daddy's Girl? Do you own this amazing polish?

I'll be back this evening (hopefully!) with some Live Life Polished, and I also have some Nail pattern Boldness coming your way.

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!
-Kimber



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

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Flakie Friday (The late because I chose an odd combo version!) : La Femme Destak

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*Product(s) Featured purchased by me. Please see Disclaimer/Legal Page for more information** 

**Edit** Apparently the photos look good depending on your monitor. They look great on my iphone, but not so great on my laptop. Go figure!**

 Hello Lovelies! Welcome to yet another late edition of Flakie Friday! This week I had this ready to go on time - although when I went in to choose my photos.....disaster! They were nowhere near color accurate and my usual lighting was way too bright and washed out the photos. So I pulled out all my photo equipment and tried again. This time, I managed to capture the base color, but the flakies were all wrong. So I photographed a third time, this time in very low lighting and with pretty much every camera setting imaginable tweaked somehow. My skin tone is still a bit wonky, and the photos are slightly overexposed, but that's the only way I could capture this manicure accurately. Lesson learned - do not mix a neon base color with flakies! Also, Susan is taking this week off, but will be back with more flakie goodness next week!

Before I get to the polish, I want to thank everyone again for all the wonderful comments that have been left on Kalli's story. I can't believe how far that one post has spread! It's wonderful! Please feel free to share our story anywhere you would like. Several of you have asked if that is okay and it's more than alright. 

I also want to thank Leah Ann from Llarowe - she shared pictures of my Autism Awareness Ribbon Manicure as well as Kalli's story. She is also donating proceeds from the sales of one her polishes from April 2 to an Autism related charity. I was very touched to Leah Ann's reaction to Kalli's story, and her willingness to share openly. Thank you Leah Ann!

Also, one of my fave Indie polish goddesses, Christian from Polish TBH, will be donating some of the  proceeds from the sales of her blue polishes during the month of April. How awesome is that?? This is a great excuse to pick up some awesome polish - hint hint hint!!! The shop is currently on vacation but will re-open in about a week.

And last but nowhere near least, please check out some of the awesome polish jewelry from Puzzled and Polished  (Link will also be on my sidebar tomorrow) Mandy is also an Austism mom, and the proceeds from her jewelry go to Walk Now for Autism Speaks (her team is Christian's Crusaders). She has also developed an app that provides calming scenes to help when our kids are feeling sensory overload. Hopefully we'll be seeing this app become available soon! Mandy works tirelessly for the Autism Community and, more importantly, is an amazing mom to Christian. Let's help support her and Autism Awarness!

And now....polish!

Today's Flakie is a gorgeous little gem that I picked up from Llarowe. La Femme Destak is a mylar flakie with a red/gold/green/teal duochrome shift. Since this is a mylar flakie, the color shift is entirely dependent on your base color. Darker colors will show the colors better than a lighter base, however this flakie looks awesome over almost any color. 

Since I love the red/gold color in this girl, I wanted to layer over a brighter base color in order to keep that color dominant. Great idea, unless you have to photograph it! ;) I chose Sinful Colors Endless Blue, a bright, highly saturated neon blue with the weirdest formula ever. The result is stunning IRL, and I wish it transleted in photos. 

This is 2 coats of La Femme Destak over Sinful Colors Endless Blue (Polish colors are accurate - skin tone is not!):

Despite not being the best photos ever, isn't Destak awesome? I love Mylar flakies. How can you not love a flakie that still has a ton of color over lighter colors? I mean, look at that red/gold in Destak - I love how it looks almost fuchsia in some lighting.

Destak's formula is perfection. It's thick enough to carry a ton of flakies but thin enough to be easy to work with. I had no issues with flakie placement, clumping, or dragging. Application was stellar - Destak practically applied itself! Despite being packed with flakies, I had no issues with glopping or gooping, and the flakies lay perfectly flat on the nail. Well, I did have one rogue flakie on the very tip of my index finger, but that happens with stilettos. :)

I wish I could rave about Endless Blue, but that polish had the funkiest formula ever! It's thick, yet it still has a tendency to flood, and it did not want to stick to the sides of my nails. The color is worth the strange application, but I have never had a polish act like that! 

I can't wait to try out Destak over some other colors. I have a feeling she would look awesome over a deep purple or a navy blue.  

Want your own bottle? Destak and other La Femme beauties are available at Llarowe! Destak sells for $8.00 for 9ml. 

What do you think of this combo? Would you wear a flakie over a neon base?

Be sure to check back soon! I have Julep's holographic, some more awesome Daring Digits, BG Cosmetics and Polish TBH coming up!

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!
-Kimber       


*Product(s) Featured purchased by me. Please see Disclaimer/Legal Page for more information**
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Flakie Friday! Layla Ceramic Effect: Killing Red

Hello lovelies! Happy Friday! I dunno about you guys, but I live for friday.  Not only is it the start of the weekend, but it's also Flakie Friday! If you aren't familiar with Flakie Friday, every Friday Susan of The Subtle Shimmer and I post a flakie polish. It's really renewed my love for flakies, and forced me to brush the dust off some untrieds.

Today I have another Layla Ceramic Effect Flakie to share with you. This one is called Killing Red and it's a red jelly packed full of flakies that shift from red to orange and gold. It's a really beautiful polish, however I had one hek of a time photographing it. The orange and gold in the flakies tends to overwhelm the red base in photos. IRL the red is deeper...more of a true cherry red.

I also feel the need to beg forgiveness for posting photos with the lovely gash on my index finger. I was attempting to fix the stupid automatic seat belt in my car and managed to slip and slice myself with a screwdriver. Oops! Everyone point and laugh now! ;)But let's get to the polish!

This is 2 coats of Killing Red topped with HK Girl Top Coat:

I was so happy when I found this at Ulta the other day. I had been dying for a Red Flakie and this was the lone bottle of Killing Red. However, although I do like this polish, It's hasn't entirely killed my need for a good red flakie. I was hoping for a more evident color shift IRL, and more vibrance from the flakies.

Formula:
Killing Red's formula was lovely, albeit a little on the thin side. Very easy to work with, not thickening during use and no clumps of flakies.

Application:
The polish itself applied nicely, gliding onto the nail with no issues. The brush on my bottle was ultra wonky, so I had to really work at getting this where I wanted it as opposed to all over my fingers. It was like trying to apply a flakie polish with a large, fluffy, janitorial grade mop! Thankfully it really is just a wonky brush - none of my other CE's have brush issues.

Layla Ceramic Effect Polishes are formulated to be used without top or base coat. I still use base coat, but always try these without top coat just to see if they really are as shiny and durable as they're supposed to be. I ended up adding topcoat over Killing Red since the surface was a touch textured and it just didn't have the depth I was looking for sans top coat.

This is such a gorgeous polish, however I don't think my search for the perfect red flakie is over. Actually, my search for flakies of all kinds and colors is nowhere near finished!

What's your take on Killing Red? Do you have a fave Flakie polish?

Be sure to check out Susan's awesome Up Colors Flakie! ( and don't forget to check out her shop, Star Trinkets, while you're there!) Man, I swear Susan has the best flakie polishes ever. She has me lemming every single one she has posted so far!


Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!
-Kimber

Flakie Friday! Finger Paints Motley (and Special Guest Charlie Cat!)

Hello again lovelies! I'm back for another Flakie Friday with one of my #1 nail crushes, Susan from The Subtle Shimmer! I am really loving Flakie Fridays. I had forgotten just how much I love flakies! I'm actually on the hunt for more (I really want a red Flakie), so if you know of any awesome flakies leave me a comment!

Today I have a flakie that I've shown before on the blog, however that was a good year ago I believe. Finger Paints Motley is a gorgeous blue/teal/blurple/purple/green duochrome flakie in a sheer base. It's my favorite from this collection! The last time I wore this flakie I layered it over a deep Navy. This time I wanted a different look, so I chose to layer it in between coats of the infamous Revlon Royal, the most famous of all Cobalt Jellies.

For this mani I started off with 2 coats of Revlon Royal. Then I layered one coat of Finger Paints Motley and went over that with a very thin coat of Royal. I then added one more coat of Motley and topped it all off with a coat of HK Girl Top Coat (review to come). I really love the way this mani turned out. The flakies look like they are a part of Royal, but they aren't entirely covered by the jelly polish like a full on Jelly Sandwich.

Unfortunately this mani really did not want to live. After many attempt at Suicide, it finally managed to off itself right after I photographed it. In the photos you can see where the polish began to lift on my middle and index fingers, as well as the bubbles from a botched attempt at trying to fix it so I could take photos. I refilled my bottle of DIY Peel off base coat last night and had forgotten that when I use thicker coats of the PVA Glue that it tends to spread out on the nail (I only apply it to the center of the nail, leaving the sides and base of the nail free so my clean up doesn't mess with the seal) so when I clean-up it pretty much kills the whole mani. Grrrr! But I'm a trooper and wasn't about to miss a Flakie Friday!

I apologize for the pics as well...I only managed to take a few shots before my middle nail managed to pop off and fall to the floor. Mani dead. :(

I'm really bummed that this mani offed itself so soon. I love this combo - the color, the depth. In my world there is nothing quite like a good Cobalt blue.

Formula:
Finger Pains Motley has a wonderful Formula. Not too thick, Not too thin, and no thickening up.

Application:
Motley is a dream to apply! It flows smoothly onto the nail and it's easy to control the amount of flakies. The flakes lay flat on the nail so no need for anything other than your regular top coat. Unfortunately Motley is an LE and no longer available save for Blog Sales and Evil Bay.

If you're not familiar with Revlon Royal, it has a tricky formula. It's pretty runny for a jelly so you have to be very careful. I'm so used to Indie formulas now that I totally forgot how runny this polish is and flooded a few cuticles. Which is not good at all since Royal is also a royal stainer! However, it's worth all the fuss.

And now...A word from Charlie The Cat:

Oh Hai! This is a reeeallly comfy spot. This is where my kitten sits (I think my humans are my kittens..I even groom them and attempt to carry the baby. He's a big kitten though so I'm not very successful!) and I know she would want me to lay here and hog it! See how I sprawl across the cushion so there isn't room for anyone else? I is so thoughtful!

Ahhhhh...hello kitten! See mah belleh? You must scratch it now!! I grab your hand so you cannot run away! The kitteh belleh beckons you!!!!

Wait!!! Why you stop! What do you mean "move your cat ass, Charlie"? Can you no see I is comfy? I stay here and you scratch my belleh some more. Yes, that is good plan!


Needless to say Charlie did not move her cat ass and I ended up sitting on he other end of the couch. But only after scratching her belly for a good half hour. She is a total belly kitty. She rolls, drools, kisses, meows and purrs like a freight train during belly rubs. She will also scratch the ever loving hell out of me if I stop before she is ready.  She's really a funny little fur-baby! But back to the tough questions..

What do you think of Motley? Do you like the flakie sandwich look?

Don't forget to check out Susan's Flakie Mani! It's gorgeous...and a flakie that I hadn't seen before!


Charlie and I want to thank you for stopping by!

Happy Polishing!
-Kimber (and Charlie too!)

Flakie Friday! Layla Ceramic Effect in The Butterfly Effect

Good morning lovelies! Happy Friday! At least I hope it is. Mom is meeting with the surgeon this afternoon to go over the results of the PET Scan. I'm really hoping they tell us it really is stage 2, and that she an totally beat this. My mom is so very brave. I can tell she's a bit stressed, but otherwise she is facing this with such strength and bravery that it's incredible. That's my mom....she's always been a strong woman. If anyone can beat this, it's her.

Today marks the first post in a new series that I'm participating in with one of my blog crushes, Susan of The Subtle Shimmer. Susan came up with the idea to post a flakie polish every Friday until we run out (which could take awhile since I just see this as a good excuse to get more Flakies!). I adore Flakies, and kept meaning to wear mine, but just never got around to it. This gives me a reason to pull them out of my stash and give them some love!

For my first Flakie Friday I chose Layla Ceramic Effect in CE 52 - Butterfly Effect (does anyone else  think of Ashton Kutcher when they see that name?). Butterfly Effect boasts a purple jelly base with gold/green/teal color shifting flakies. It's also a rumored dupe of my very favorite Flakie of all time - the glorious Nfu-Oh 51. Now that I own both of them, I can tell you that Butterfly Effect is much more opaque than 51, and the base color is darker. The flakies are also more abundant, which is always a good thing! Butterfly Effect is from the Ceramic Effect line, which is supposed to have superior shine without top coat and never need a base coat. Nfu-Oh makes no such claims.They are, however, so very similar that if you don't have 51, this will certainly slay that lemming.

All photos are 2 coats of Butterfly Effect, no top coat.

*Le Sigh*. Gorgeous, isn't she? I knew I would love this polish since I love Nfu-Oh 51 so very much, but I thought I would find it somehow inferior. Not so much.

Formula:
Butterly Effect's formula was positively dreamy. I had expected this to be a tough on the thick and difficult side like 51 is, but was pleaseantly surprised. BE's formula is fairly thin, yet not runny. No thickening during use as well.

Application:
Unlike 51, Butterfly Effect applied as smooth as silk with no dragging or balding. I had expected it to be a bit more difficult, especially since the flakies are more abundant than in 51, but I had no issues at all. Even without top coat, BE was level and dried quickly. It also lives up to the claim that its super shiny without needing topcoat. In fact, had to photograph this in lower light, otherwise the shine created some washed out spots on the pics.

I am definitely impressed with this polish and will definitely be picking up the green version. I found my bottle at Ulta for around $8.

Be sure to check out Susan's awesome Koh Flakie at The Subtle Shimmer (also check out her store, Star Trinkets! She has some awesome polish and some utterly fantastic jewelry!)!

What do you think of Butterfly Effect? Do you prefer BE or Nfu-Oh 51?

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!
-Kimber