A Late Flakie Friday - Lac Attack Durmstrang

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

Hello lovelies! I know, I know...I'm late again. I swear that when I think I'm going to have all the time in the world to post, I end up having no time at all. This week was good ole mother nature surfacing to hand me my monthly migraine, and cramps that were so bad that they were radiating down my left leg. Not fun. I spent all of Thursday in bed with my heating pad and a bottle of Advil. Yesterday was better, but it was also payday, which meant lots of running around. It also meant online polish shopping though, and I have some really awesome Indies on the way, and I am beyond excited. I have some Liquid Sky Lacquer Multichromes, some gorgeous glitters and a flakie from Supernatural Lacquers, and a quick dry top coat and flakie polish from Underground Cosmetics on their way.

And speaking of Indie Goodness, the giveaway is still in the works - I just need to find time to finish separating the prizes into groups. I'm painting a bedroom this weekend, so it will more than likely be Monday or Tuesday before I'm ready to go live. Sorry for the delay, folks. Giveaways aren't always as cut and dry as they seem.

Today I have a late Flakie Friday polish to share with you lovelies. I'm trying to get back into my usual schedule, even though I failed this week. But hey! I'm only a day late with this one, and my god is it worth the wait!

If you haven't heard of Lac Attack, you may be living under a rock. Seriously, Lac Attack is one of the coolest Indie brands around, and I had been coveting so many Lac Attack polishes. My biggest lemming was a polish called Durmstrang, from the Magical Musings Collection. Durmstrang (named for the Wizarding Institute that Victor Krumm attended) is a gorgeous sheer blue polish loaded with shimmer (not just gold, but there's some awesome pink and blue shimmer that peeks through as well) and black shard and diamond glitters. I guess it's technically a glitter polish, but those black shards are flakes in my world, so it still counts, right?

Even though Durmstrang is described as an Icy blue, On my nails it's more of a bright Cobalt. Maybe it's my lighting, but even in sunlight, it's much more Cobalt. And I'm okay with that - I love me some bright blue!

This is 3 coats of Durmstrang topped with NPB Glitter Food and HK Girl Top Coat:

Can I just say WOW! First of all - that blue! Oh, that magical, beautiful, perfect blue. It's no secret that Blue will always be my very fave color to wear on my nails, and this particular blue is everything that I've ever wanted in a blue polish. Toss in the amazing shimmer and diamond and shard glitters and you have Kimber's dream polish.

Durmstrang's formula is just as awesome as the polish itself, with a perfect jelly consistency and no thickening during use. Application was much easier than I had anticipated - with all of those diamonds and shards I had expected application to be somewhat tricky and require some dabbing and glitter placement, however Durmstrang applied beautifully with just the usual brush strokes. Those diamonds and shards also lay flat on the nail for the most part - I think I had one tiny little shard on the tip of one nail that was a little pokey, but it didn't come off, so it was a non issue. Durmstrang is fairly sheer, so you will need either 2 thicker coats or 3 thinner coats for opacity, or you can layer this baby over a similar color. Since it has that awesome shimmer, I feel like this would be fairly epic layered over a Navy blue as well. Wear was pretty epic for shard glitter - I'm actually still wearing this polish (I applied this on Thursday night around 1 am) and have no wear at all and zero lifting glitters. I did add a coat of Glitter Food to this mani since the shard glitters can be fairly textured, and that smoothed everything out perfectly.

Obviously, I am in love with Durmstrang. I have a feeling I'll be needing a backup bottle sooner rather than later. In my opinion, this is a must have for any polish lover.

You can grab your very own bottle of Durmstrang at LacAttack.com for $8.00 full size or $4.25 for a mini bottle. While you're there, I highly recommend checking out the Cell Block Tango Collection. My polish budget is tight at the moment, but I plan on grabbing that collection as soon as I can swing it. don't forget to check out Lac Attack on Facebook and Instagram for new releases, sales and re-stock info, and swatches.

I have new Polish TBH coming up ASAP (with the painting I have no idea if it will be tomorrow or Monday, but it's coming!) as well as some Born Pretty Store Nail Art products.

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!
-Kimber





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

Press Sample

Frankenstain Nail Polish - The Vampire Strain

 Press Sample

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

Hello Lovelies! Well I was back to posting in the mornings, however, it's now officially Autism Awareness Month, which is very dear to me. My 11 year old daughter, Kallista, has Asperger's Syndrome, a high functioning form of Autism marked by social deficits, sensitivity to certain sounds, textures and flavors, and self-stimulating behaviors (hand flapping, spinning, rocking, etc). Last year I participated in 30 Days of Blue for Autism Awareness, but since my review schedule is so heavy this year, I am rotating in some nail art and multiple daily posts. I'll also be sharing information about Autism as well as my daughter's story. Please take the time to listen to what I have to say, what others have to say, and educate yourself. 1 in 55 children will be diagnosed with and Autism Spectrum Disorder, which means that you WILL know someone with Autism. Learning the facts is so very important. Had people just taken the time to understand Autism on even the smallest level, my daughter's struggle would have been less. 

On that same note, tomorrow is World Autism Awareness Day, and I encourage you all to join in and "Light It Up Blue" for Autism Awareness. I'll be sporting a blue manicure - won't you join me and help shine a light on Autism? It doesn't need to be fancy - you can wear plain blue polish, or do some nail art. It's up to you. I just ask that you spread the word.  I'll be back this evening with my first Autism Awareness Manicure, as well as my daughter's story. It's a hard story to tell, so I ask that you read it, think about it, and take it to heart.

But for right now, let's check out some awesome polish!!

Today I have another beauty from Frankenstain Nail Polish. The Vampire Strain is a pinkinsh/red pearlescent jelly base packed with a various black and red glitters,  as well as silver shard glitters. This is the very first Frankenstain Nail polish that I came across, and it immediately piqued my interest! It's definitely vampy, and is certainly something I could see a Vampire sporting!

This is 3 coats of The Vampire Strain topped with NPB Glitter Food and HK Girl Top Coat (Please forgive the depth of focus here - I had yet to really figure out my macro filters!):

 




































I really dig this polish. I love me some vampies, and this is just so Vampire-esque! The red base and black glitters really make this polish something special, and those large round glitters are awesome!

The Vampire Strain's formula was pleasant to work with and I had no problems with thickening or gooping. Application was easy peasy - no clumping glitters, no fishing for the larger glitters, and even the large silver shards were cooperative. The red base is very sheer, so if you want full opacity you will need 3 thicker coats. TVS does look really cool at 2 coats as well, if you don't mind a little VNL.  This girl does dry a bit textured, mostly due to the shard glitters, but this is nothing a coat of Glitter Food or Gelous can't handle.  Removal was easy, however make sure that you use a good base coat, since this girl can stain a little. Nothing that won't come off with soap and a soft nail brush though!

Overall I am really digging this polish, although I do wish that I had chosen to wear it AFTER I had shaped my stilettos! This girl was a real showstopper while out and about as well - I had several people stop and ask what polish I was wearing. One of the things that I really enjoyed about this polish was how the base color seemed to change with the lighting. In direct light, it leans a pinkish-red, but in low light, it's a deep, blood-like burgundy.  If you're a fan of vampies, this is a must have for your collection. 

Frankenstain Nail Polish can be found at FrankenstainNails on Etsy and all polishes are 3-free, cruelty free and handmade. Full size bottles go for $7.25, minis for $3.50. Frankenstain Nail Polish has a HUGE selection, and every combination is unique. What are you waiting for? Go check it out! Also, don't forget to follow Frankenstain Nail Polish on Facebook!

What do you think of The Vampire Strain? Are you a fan of vampies?

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!
-Kimber   
  



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

 Press Sample

Twenty Seven Polish: Love Always

Hello lovelies! It's still Monday....jeeze, I think this has been the longest Monday of my life!

You all know that I am a huge fan of Twenty Seven Polish...that's no secret. It was the first handmade Indie Brand that I fell in love with, and the gateway to my love for all things Indie. Twenty Seven will alwa have a special place in my heart. I regularly stalk Lisa's Etsy shop checking for new colors, and I'm only a couple away from having them all.

The beauty I have for you today is a brand new polish, just in time for Valentine's Day! And how perfect is this for V-Day? A white base with irridescent  shimmer that reflects a soft purple in the right light, paked with pink and red squares, pink shreds, and red hearts. White based glitters have really grown on me lately, and the irridescent shimmer is a really cool twist. I just wish I had been abe to capture it on camera, but alas - my lights are too strong and the shimmer didn't want to play nice for me. T minus a couple weeks until I get my DSLR and ultra-awesome light tent set-up!

I do need to mention that you will see bubbles in these photos. The polish itself did not bubble, but my Gelous wasn't anywhere near dry when I top coated, causing bubbles. That's all me folks, the polish itself didn't bubble at all.

This is 2 coats of Love Always topped with Gelous and HK Girl Top Coat (Sorry about the weird skin tone. I swear I'm so ready to toss this camera! The little cut is still there as well, but you all know how I feel about photoshopping.):

Isn't this beautiful? There is something about the white base with the irridescent shimmer that really captured my heart. (And those bubbles are driving me nuts! Lesson learned, lesson learned.)

And just to reiterate- bubbles are my fault. I probably should not have top coated over very wet Gelous. :(

Formula:
Superb as always! Twenty Seven is one of those brands that has a very consistent formula. It is thicker than other polishes, but it's one of the smoothest indies out there. Never gloppy or goopy, and never any thickening during use.

Application:
I was surprised at how smoothloy this applied given the amount of glitters in this! The heart glitters are abundant, and I did not have to fish for a single one. Dry time was fast, and this girl is opaque in just 2 coats. Wear is excellent, standing up to 2 days of my usual abuse with no chips and no tip wear! Impressive! Due to the hearts being larger than most glitters, I did use a coat of Gelous before top coating for protection (let yours dry a bit before top coating though! Bubbles suck!).

Once again, Lisa has created a stunning, affordable, high quality polish. This is why I love Twenty Seven so much. You'll be seeing more from Twenty Seven soon, so be sure to check back!

All Twenty Seven Polish creations are 3-Free and Cruelty Free, and can be found at Twenty Seven Polish on Etsy (clicky!) or 27polish at storenvy.com (clicky again!). Full size bottles retail for $7, minis for $3, and you can save 20% on your order by using code SPRING20 at checkout (code works for both sites). Lisa does ship internationally, just shoot her an Etsy note for details.

What do you think of Love Always? Are you digging the irridescent shimmer in the base as much as I am?

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!
-Kimber

**Product(s) featured provided for review. Please see legal/disclaimer for more information**

New from Laquerlicious! Cupid's Crush!

Hello Lovelies! I have an actual polish post for you today! I've been trying to keep the number of Challenge Info posts as low as possible since too many can get confusing and I firmly be lieve that challenges should be fun and not overrun with rules and all sorts of random "must do" stuff, but I had to post some information today since Wednesday is nearing! We're back to the pretties now though, and this one is a killer (but be sure to check back for Wednesday's Challenge post to see what all the awesome ladies are up to!)!

Cupid's Crush is the final of the 3 Valentines Day polishes that Laquerlicious is about to release. This lovely contains various shapes of Pink, Purple, Red, and White shard-style glitters in a sheer purple jelly base. This polish is my very fave of the 3, mostly because I am in love with the glitter mix! The purple jelly base is just gorgeous, and the glitters really fit this particular color well. For me, this is yet another must have from Laquerlicious, and if you haven't checked out everything Michelle has to offer, you are missing out!

All photos are 3 coats of Cupid's Crush topped with Gelous and HK Girl Top Coat. This is a bit pic heavy since this baby needs to be shown off to really get the full effect.

Look at the sparkle! And the colors! Love!!

Formula:
As with most Indie polish, Cupid's Crush has a thicker than mainstream formula, yet it's not the kind of thick that is detrimental. I experienced no glopping gooping, thickening, or clumps of glitter.

Application:
I was amazed at how smoothly Cupid's Crush applied since it is loaded with shard glitters. This girl flowed onto the nail like silk, with no glopping, balding, dragging, or clumping glitters. The jelly base is very soft and sheer, so you do need at least 2 coats for Opacity. I'm wearing 3 for depth and intensity. This baby does dry slightly textured, so if you like your glitters ultra-smooth, be sure to use a coat of Gelous or Glitter Food before you top coat.

I am still just wowed by Laquerlicious. Michelle's polishes are absolutely top-notch and worth every penny. I'm hooked! Michelle is also a great person and I just adore her!

All Laquerlicious polishes are 3-free and made with top quality ingredients. Full size bottles retail for a mere $8.50 per bottle and Michelle keeps her store well stocked at all times. Right now you can snag some of her lovelies for as low as $5 a bottle! You can find her shop on Etsy here : LaquerliciousUnity.

Be sure to check back soon! I have a fab St. Patrick's Day Polish from Laquerlicious coming up as well as Bitch Glitz, Twenty Seven Polish, Kelara Laquers and more!

Are you feeling Valentine's Day Collections yet?

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!
-Kimber

Twenty Seven Polish: Merry Mistletoe

Good morning lovelies! Happy Day before the supposed Apocalypse! I don't know about you guys, but I subscribe to 2 theories: That the Mayans either died off before they could get any further or they just plain old ran out of room. I'm fairly certain the world isn't ending tomorrow, although I am not convinced that some crazy person won't use the date as an excuse to be evil. Hopefully that will not happen. I think we've seen enough tragedy lately.

To brighten my spirits on "the supposed last day on earth", I have a festive Holiday polish from Twenty Seven to share with you today. Merry Mistletoe is a veritable Holiday glitter-fest boasting green matte hexes, white matte hexes and bar glitters and red shard glitters in a clear base. This is one really cool holiday glitter. The moment I saw this I knew it would be a great excuse to finally use my bottle of OPI Did It On Em from the Nicki Minaj Collection! Woohoo!

I'll apologize now for the tiny bubbles (sing it with me! Tiiiiiiiny buuuuuubbbbllleeessss!).....I added a second coat of Mega Shine since I forgot my Gelous, and didn't wait for the first coat to fully dry - hence, tiny bubbles. That's totally my fault and not a reflection of Merry Mistletoe. I also managed to knock my pinky against my table and added more glitter to try and cover it, so it's a bit wonky. I was having a bad polish night with no time to re-do anything. That will teach me to polish at 2 am. ;) The good news is that I'm starting to get better at photographing my right hand!

All photos are 2 coats of OPI Fly with 1 coat of Merry Mistletoe topped with Sally Hansen Mega Shine.

I love this combo! OPI Did It On Em is much more in your face IRL, which made this layering even cooler.  I felt pretty darn festive! Especially since I haven't managed any Holiday Nail Art this year.

Formula:
Merry Mistletoe has the same wonderful formula as all of the Twenty Seven Polishes that I've worn. Thick, but usable right out of the bottle and the perfect consistency for larger glitters.

Application:
Merry Mistletoe was one of the easist chunky glitters I have ever applied. It flowed smoothly onto the nail without clumping the glitters together (my pinky was my fault - I already mentioned what I did there). No fishing for glitter or hand placing. The larger shard glitters make this slightly textured so I recommend a coat of Gelous or Glitter Tamer (I don't recommend my double top coat when the first coat isn't dry technique!).

I have to tell you guys, I do love me some Twenty Seven Polish! In fact, as soon as Lisa releases a new polish, I'm all over her Etsy sight.  I love that her glitters are usually one coaters, and her colors opaque at 2 coats. She really deserves to have her name out there, so spread the word!!

All Twenty Seven polish is 3- Free and can be found via Twenty Seven Polish on Etsy.  Full size bottles retail for $7, minis for $3. Lisa doe ship internationally as well - just shoot her an Etsy note! She has also been gracious enough to allow me to share her 20% off coupon code with you all! Use code 27WIN at checkout for your 20% discount!

Are you digging Twenty Seven yet? I have some really awesome Twenty Seven's coming up, including..dun dun dun...a black Holo!!!!!

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!
-Kimber

P.S. If there happens to actually be an apocalypse and I don't make it, Lisa gets Charlie ;)
P.P.S. If you're offended by my having a little fun with all of this doomsday stuff, I apologize. I've lived through so many supposed apocalypses and Raptures that I can't even begin to take it all seriously.

**Polish provided by Twenty Seven polish for review purposes. Please see legal/disclaimer for more info**

Twenty Seven Polish - Evil Stepsisters (and some Giveaway info!)

AHHHHHHH! Just broke a nail!!!!! Nooooooo!

Good morning lovelies! Happy Caturday! Charlie has some things to say today, so make sure to click to read more or you'll miss her Caturday message!

Since my FB page (like KLK HERE) in reality has over 100 likes (if pages like you it doesnt count, plus my counter seems to only update when it feels like it), the giveaway will start Monday. Gini and I have narrowed down the prizes, and they are all being shipped. Unfortunately, being the holiday season, shipping takes a bit so I will be using my personal bottles as well as links to some blogger swatches until they are all here.

Prizes:
A-England- She Walks In Beauty
A-England- And The Moonbeams
Polish TBH - Tiny Dancer
Polish TBH - Midnight
Twenty Seven Polish - Evil Stepsisters (conveniently swatched in this post!)
Twenty Seven Polish - Fake ID
Twenty Seven Polish - Change Is Good

All are full sized bottles. I'll be posting the giveaway on Monday, probably in the evening.

And now, the polish!

It's no secret that Twenty Seven Polish has become one of my fave Indie Brands. And with good reason. Lisa makes some gorgeous polish, complete with stellar application and affordable pricing. Today's stunner is Evil Stepsisters, a mix of Orange, Green and Purple Shard Glitter, 2 different shades of purple Hex glitter, and the occasional black star in a pink to green duochrome shimmer base. This polish is incredible. The duochrome shift is gorgeous, and combined with the glitters? Wow. Can you tell I'm in love? My swatches do not show the black stars, since they  weren't obvious against my base color, but they are in there! Make sure you click to see more - you want to see the duochrome, right?

All photos are a single coat of Evil Stepsisters over Illamasqua Baptiste (Pic heavy to show off the colors!):

Wow. Just wow. I love a good duochrome, but duochrome and awesome glitter? *swoon*!!! I love this over a dark base, but this looks awesome over lighter colors as well - I tried it over a bright Orange from Essie and wow! I used kept the black stars over the orange and this polish looked just as stunning, yet entirely different. So versatile as well as gorgeous. Lisa has a real stunner on her hands here.

Formula:
Dreamy! Evil Stepsisters has the signature Indie thickness, while still being easy to use. No thickening during use, no clumpy glitters, and the glitter did not settle in the bottle.

Application:
Easy Peasy! Evil stepsisters was smooth and silky for a glitter. No fishing for glitters here, The brush dispersed just the right amount of glitter with each stroke. This girl isn't as textured as alot of Indie glitters, but I did use a coat of Gelous to make sure it was nice and smooth -especially with shard glitters. Dry time was impressive - this was dry to the touch before I even applied the gelous!

Overall? LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! For me, this is a must have, and I know I will need a full sized bottle sooner rather than later. Lucky for you, you can win this baby starting Monday!

All Twenty Seven Polish is 3-Free and can found via Twenty Seven Polish on Etsy.. Full sized bottles retail for $7, minis for $3. Lisa also has 2 new glitters available, so be sure to check them out! Don't forget to use code 27WIN at checkout for 20% off!

And now....

You all know that I spend an exorbitant amount of time at my polish table in my kitchen. If you follow me on twitter, you may have seen the pics of "the invaders" a few days ago. It seems my polish table is popular with small creatures. :)

Since it's a bit chilly at the polish table (it's in front of a large set of sliding glass doors), I keep my fluffy robe handy in the evenings. Charlie loves my robe - drooling and kneading on it often. That is, when she's not using it for a kitteh bed.

Charlie: Mom? That blue thing is fluffeh! I lay on it?
Me: Charlie, I need that. It's cold!
Charlie: Look! An alien!!! Up there!!!! 

Me: That's the desklamp.
Charlie: Oh..that not work? Okay....Um...here! I lick your knee!!!

Me: (wiping off kitteh drool) Charlie, you are weird.
Charlie: It's so fluffy!!! I lay here nao!
Me: You are silly kitteh. Now I smell like kitteh breath. 

 Charlie: I has a comfy. See? I has the blue fluffy thing!!! On a more serious note, mom...

Charlie: *YAWN* I so vewy tired. I nap here, k? This my fluffy. I claim it in the name of nap time.
Me: Oooookay. I guess you win. But it's cold, and I may freeze to death and then no more scratches for you!

 Charlie: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Marleigh the 120 lb Great Labradane: That cat is weird. I can has steak?

And with that, I am off to tend to this damned broken corner. *sighs*

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Polishing!
-Kimber