Bionic Mmmm-Detector by Literary Lacquer

Are you ready to see another polish from The Good Parts Collection? Literary Lacquer sent me several polishes from her brand new collection to review. Let's take a look at Bionic Mmmm-Detector, shall we? 

Bionic Mmmm-Detector is inspired by the book Vox, by Nicholson Baker. The entire bulk of the book is a conversation on one of those 1-900 sex lines! Creator Amy describes this polish as "black jelly packed with aqua, teal, blue and green microglitter." I've shown three coats, topped with a coat of Gelous and a coat of Seche Vite. First three photos are taken in natural, full sunlight. 

This one was a stunner for me! I love black jellies, and I love microglitterbombs! You could easily layer Bionic Mmmm-Detector over a black creme, but you would lose So. Much. Glitter! by doing so. 

Look at that! You don't want to lose out on all that glitter, do you? 

Remaining photos are all taken under Ott Lite. 

I find it easiest to describe this polish as though it were a duochrome. The most predominant glitter color is a bright aqua, with flashes of teal and true blue. An almost emerald green shows up occasionally, being most visible in low-light conditions. 

I was very impressed with Bionic Mmmm-Detector overall. Microglitterbombs (a word that I've probably just made up, but will continue to use forever!) are famously a bit difficult to apply, requiring complete drying time between coats to prevent dragging the glitter off of your nail. They are also notoriously topcoat-hungry requiring several coats to smooth things over. I had neither of those issues with this polish! I applied it like any other polish, meaning I did one coat, starting with my ring finger and working my way through to my thumb (I always do my pinkie last for some reason), and then immediately started my second coat. And so on for the third coat. The glitter stayed absolutely put. I did top with Gelous and Seche Vite on my swatching hand, but it wasn't necessary to use both, and I didn't on my right, dominant hand. One coat of Seche Vite was enough to smooth everything out nicely. 

If you haven't tried anything from Literary Lacquer yet, I highly recommend that you do. Amy creates some beautiful glitter combinations, as well as stunningly strong and vividly colored linear holos! Literary Lacquer can be purchased on Etsy for $10 per bottle, and can be liked on Facebook. 

*This polish was sent to me by Literary Lacquer for an honest review. 

Woman of Pleasure by Literary Lacquer

Last week, Literary Lacquer released a brand new collection, called The Good Parts, inspired by erotic fiction ranging from Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure, published in 1748, right up through the 50 Shades books.  Creator Amy was kind enough to send me a few of her new polishes to review for you, so let's get down to it!

The first polish (of four) that I have for you is Woman of Pleasure, inspired by Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure. Originally published in 1748, the book was banned for over 200 years, presumably do to those "good parts" the collection is named for :) Amy describes woman of pleasure as "a periwinkle crelly base with navy and lavender sparkle, matte light pink, large navy hexes, and magenta circle glitter." I personally used three coats, topped with Seche Vite. Photos taken under Ott Lite. 

Woman of Pleasure is not a color I would have picked, but I'm glad it was in my package, as I love it! The base is a light periwinkle with touches of grey in some lighting, and the glitter combo is quite fun! Circle glitters are so hot right now, and I love seeing them as accents, rather than the whole glitter package. The formula on this one was great: It applied smoothly, and the glitter coverage was fantastic! It was a bit sheer, and I needed three coats to completely cover my nail line, but it didn't become thick at all. I actually wore this one for three days, with minimal tip wear and no chipping. 

You may recall my previous Literary Lacquer reviews, from the Midsummer Night's Dream Collection: Jealous Oberon, Love In Idleness and An Honest Puck (which was #10 on my top 12 polishes of 2012!). All of those polishes, along with The Good Parts Collection, can be purchased on Etsy. Full sized bottles run $10. Be sure to like Literary Lacquer on Facebook- there's a giveaway in the works when she hits 1000, and she is soo close!

*This polish was provided to me by Literary Lacquer for an honest review. 

ChChChChanges! New Ways to Follow and New FTC Guidelines

This is going to be a quick, dirty, and very likely boring post. Not even any pictures! 

First of all, I'm sure you've heard by now that Google Reader is retiring as of July 1st. This means that any and all blogs that you follow, including mine, via GFC will be lost, unless you port them to a new reader. There are many options available with a quick search. I, personally, as well as many of the blogs I follow, have moved to Bloglovin'. It's free and supereasy to simply port all of the blogs you currently follow with Google Reader to Bloglovin- one click and you're done! I ported all of my blogs several days ago, when the hoopla first surfaced, and, while I keep forgetting to use it, I do like it. It even shows me which posts I've already read, so that I'm not reading them over again- which I have a tendency to do when I fall behind by a day or two :)

I have added both a Bloglovin' and a Follow by Email widget to the side of my page.

The second big shakeup in the blogosphere this week involves sponsored posts and products received for free in exchange for a post. The FTC has changed their guidelines regarding these types of posts. It pretty much boils down to: If I receive a free product, and post a review of it, I must disclose clearly and before any links to that product, that it was sent to me by that company for review. I have always added a disclaimer at the bottom of my posts if I was given the product, and I will continue to do so. For clarity, I will also now state, at the bottom of each post, if I purchased it myself. I will also be announcing right up front in any post in which the product was sent to me for review. 

For more information, both more in depth and more understandable, please visit Colleen at Beauty and Fashion Tech, who does a wonderful job describing both what the new regulations mean and how the will impact both bloggers and blog readers. If you want to read the actual FTC Disclosure document, it can be found here. 

Castle Beyond the Goblin City by The Lady Varnishes

Sad face! Today brings me to my last (for now!) The Lady Varnishes polish, again from the You Have No Power Over Me collection, inspired by the movie Labyrinth. This one may be my favorite, I can't quite decided! Every time I look at it, I think it is, but then I look again at Bog of Eternal Stench, and I love that one too!

Today's polish is Castle Beyond the Goblin City, described by creator Kirsten as "a dark gray jelly varnish with green microglitter, iridescent and gunmetal gray hexes." All photos show three coats with no undies, topped with Seche Vite. First three photos are taken in natural sunlight. 

The green microglitter in the polish makes it absolutely glow!

I said in my post about You Have No Power Over Me that Kirsten has a knack for iridescent glitter, and this polish is just another example of that: All that blue and green that you see on my nails is actually iridescent, and it's quite captivating. 

Final two photos show an added coat of NYC In A Minute Grand Central Station, and are taken under Ott Lite. I still can't get over how stunning those blue-green iridescent hexes are!

Castle Beyond the Goblin City went on quite well: sheer on the first coat, but built to complete opacity in three. The glitters were not at all problematic: no fishing, no dragging or clumping, no sticking up off the nail. As with all The Lady Varnishes polishes, CBTGC has the option of added scent: I chose the surprise me option, and got Sweet Orange. Very yummy and very citrus-y, and adds a pleasant scent to your polishing experience, though the scent does not linger through topcoat. All The Lady Varnishes polishes also come with that adorable little color coordinated charm that you can see in the first photo. I promptly broke the charm on this one :(

The Lady Varnishes polishes can be purchased on Etsy, and you can also follow along with the Lady on Facebook and Wordpress. See me previous swatches of The Lady Varnishes polishes here; Have A Pancake, Bog of Eternal Stench, You Have No Power Over Me. 

*This polish was purchased by me. All opinions are my own, and completely honest. 

You Have No Power Over Me by The Lady Varnishes

"For my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom is as great. You have no power over me!" 

Hello, my loves! I'm super excited to bring you another Labyrinth inspired polish by The Lady Varnishes today! 

May I present to you You Have No Power Over Me, described by creator Kirsten as "a nude pink varnish with copper glitter and copper, white and iridescent shreds." Photos all show three coats alone, topped with Seche Vite, taken under Ott Lite. 

Nude polishes are easily among my top . . . 5? favorite color families to wear, and when you jazz it up with glitter, so much the better!

The glitter is this gorgeous jelly is still very neutral, and as such, this would make for a very office friendly polish.

This photo is the best at showing off the hints of iridescent shreds: you can see one peeking out right along the reflection on my middle finger, and another below and to the left of the N in my watermark. I have to say the Kirsten does understated iridescent VERY well- You Have No Power Over Me is delicate and subtle, not blingy in the least, and yet those scattered iridescent shreds add an ethereal glow. Shreds can be a bit of a bear to work with at times, but I had very little issue with this polish. Out of all ten fingers, three coats, there was exactly one shred (copper, if it matters) that just wouldn't lay flat. I lifted it off with tweezers, smoothed the area over with topcoat, and everything was golden. 

You Have No Power over me is a very pale nude, and very sheer, with a hint of VNL still showing after three coats. If that's not your thing, try layering it over a similar nude, or a nude complementary to your skin tone. As with all The Lady Varnishes polishes, there is an option to have this polish scented in your choice of scents. I chose the Surprise Me option for my entire order, and this is the only one I couldn't pick up a scent in. 

The Lady Varnishes are available on Etsy: full sized bottles are $8.50 and come with a coordinating charm (I forgot to photograph the one that came on this one!) that can be left on the bottle (to be easily identified in a sea of polish!), or turned into jewelry. All orders of four or more bottles include a chain to wear your charm as a pendant. You can also find The Lady Varnishes on Facebook and Wordpress.

*This polish was sent to me for an honest review. 

Gideon by Glitter Me This

We've reached the last green post of the day, dears! 

Gideon is a clear based glitter topcoat packed with neon green hexes, white hexes and squares, green bars and a smattering of pink and blue stars. Glitter topcoats, and even more so shaped glitters, are not usually my thing, but this one is very fun and unique! 

Shown is two coats of Gideon over NYC Water Street Blue, topped with Seche Vite. Photos taken under Ott Lite. Glitter Me This is a new-to-me brand- I hadn't heard of it before I received this polish as a gift from a friend! Shocking, as I try to keep up with the indie brands that are available :) The glitter applied super easily, and I didn't fish for or place any of it. If you want more stars, you will have to fish, but the two that I got came out and placed with no trouble. 

Glitter Me This polishes are available on Etsy. Colors appear to be OOAK, and are listed in batches: each listing has a grouping of several polishes to choose from. Creator Nicole is also on Facebook, where she shows not only her own polishes, but many other swatches and some very cute nail art!

Ring Toss by Lyn B Designs

Continuing on our quest for hard-to-get greens is Ring Toss by Lyn B Designs. Ring Toss was a part of a Circus themed collection that was available last summer and was discontinued in the early fall. 

This is three coats of Ring Toss, topped with Seche Vite. All photos taken in natural sunlight. 

Ring Toss is a slightly murky grass green creme peppered with micro glitters in red, gold and aqua. 

Lyn B Designs does creme-y glitters very well, and Ring Toss is no exception! You can check out the current polish lineup on Etsy, like Lyn B on Facebook, and check out my previous Lyn B Designs reviews: Chocolate & Chai, Angels Have the Phonebox, Four Things and a Lizard. 

Rubidium Cube by Elemental Styles

WARNING: The following pictures are old and, quite frankly, pretty horrible. This is another puppy that has been sitting in my draft folder for far too long! I bought Rubidium Cube the day that Whitney announced she was getting out of the polish business, and put off posting it because, well . . . I hate to show you polishes that aren't readily available anymore! But with today being Green Day, and I'm really feeling neons as I wait for winter to end, it seemed the time was finally right. 

Three coats of Rubidium Cube alone, topped with a coat of Gelous and a coat of Seche Vite. 

Rubidium Cube is a clear based polish filled with micro neon yellow-green and white glitters. I wore it alone, attempting to build it up to a Floam-like consistency, but it is probably more suited to be a topper. 

You can see here that, even at three coats, full coverage was not achieved. I don't personally own Floam, and don't know how many coats it takes to get the look.

I do love the look of micro glitter polishes, this one included! It gives the appearance of textured nails (which are all the rage right now!), without me actually having to have anything other than a glassy smooth nail bed. I don't even care for matte polishes, as the texture bugs me, so this is a great alternative. 

Elemental Styles is no longer making polish, however some colors are still available on the Elemental Styles Blog Sale. 

Deadly Attraction by 365 Days of Color

Top o' marnin'! We're up to out second green post of the day, and sadly, it's one of two that is no longer available :( I hate to do this to you, but, due to my love of green polish- I have so many sitting in my drafts folder that didn't get posted while they were still readily available (for one reason or another). I hate to just drop them on you for no reason, but for a theme? Why not! 

Deadly Attraction by 365 Days of Color, L-R: Two coats alone, one coat over LA Colors Color Craze Flicker, Sinful Colors Happy Ending. Deadly Attraction was a part of Sunny's Toxic Love Collection, a set of super sheer neons that was released last summer. 

Here I've shown three coats over Maybelline Color Show Porcelain Party. Deadly Attraction is a very sheer neon yellow-green base with black shreds.

Over white, Deadly Attraction appears far more yellow than green, but it's green in the bottle, so that still counts, right?

 

And here we have two coats over Sinful Colors Happy Ending. 

Deadly Attraction was a bit light on glitter, requiring some fishing and/or a few coats to build up a sizeable amount. It's a great accent polish, rather than the star of the show. 365 Days of Color polishes are consistently amazing, and I can't recommend them enough! You can see Sunny's current lineup here, or check out my previous 365 Days of Color reviews: Boouk!, Trimming the Tree, Santa Baby, and Gimme Some Bubbly. Sunny is also an amazing blogger, whom you should definitely follow, and is active with 365 DoC on Facebook. 

Bog of Eternal Stench by The Lady Varnishes

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all my Irish and Irish-for-the-day lasses! My family is third generation removed from the Mother Country, and we do St. Pat's in a big, and very stereotypically American, way: classic corn beef and cabbage boil, homemade soda bread, Guinness and whiskey, the wearin' o the green, all the goodies :) So, of course, I have a few green polishes to show you today!

The first green of the day continues my The Lady Varnishes series, and starts the collection I'm most excited about: the You Have No Power Over Me Collection, inspired by the movie Labyrinth! The Lady Varnishes has a Doctor Who inspired collection, which of course I'm excited about, but everyone- including me!- has a Doctor Who collection. This is the first ever Labryinth Collection that I've come across, and the colors are simply stunning! This gorgeous green is Bog of Eternal Stench.

Creator Kirsten calls Bog of Eternal Stench "a murky green jelly varnish with brown microglitter, iridescent glitter and green and copper hexes." If ever a color screamed "bog", this is it. Photos show three coats alone, topped with Seche Vite, all (except the first) taken in natural sunlight. 

The charm that came with Bog of Eternal Stench is copper, with green and gold-yellow beads. The scent on this one was bright and citrus-y Sweet Orange. Again, the scent doesn't linger the way many scented polishes do, but it covers the "polish" smell very effectively, making the whole painting experience quite pleasant. 

I love the depth of this polish- it really is reminiscent of icky things floating just beneath the surface of a hideous, stagnant body of water. This is not the most flattering description for a beauty product, of course, but it is apt, and it is done in a very stunning way. This is one of my two favorites from The Lady Varnishes, and I can't decide if it's number 1 or 2! It's also on my short list of favorites of the year so far!

Bog of Eternal Stench applied very well: very sheer on the first coat, but built to complete opacity in three. The dark green jelly base provides wonderful depth to the glitter, but doesn't hide or bury any of it. Kirsten does iridescent glitter very well, adding just enough to catch the eye, without overpowering any of the colored glitter in the mix.

The Lady Varnishes is offered on Etsy, $8.50 per full size bottle. Follow along on her blog, and Like her on Facebook as well! 

*This product was provided to me for an honest review. 

Have A Pancake by The Lady Varnishes

Hello, loves! I'm super excited about today, as it brings us to the first in a series of amazing polishes by relative new kid on the block, The Lady Varnishes! 

The first The Lady Varnishes polish is Have A Pancake, from the Because you Listen collection. The Because You Listen Collection appears to based on the short lived series, Wonderfalls, which I haven't heard of, so I can't geek out about it :( But the color is lovely!

This is three coats of Have A Pancake, topped with a coat of Gelous and a coat of NYC Grand Central Station- slight tangent, but Grand Central Station, just a basic, fast dry clear polish, is THE shiny-est and glossiest top coat I've ever come across! Shinier than Gelous AND it dries faster, AND it's less than $2! I definitely recommend it. All photos are taken in natural sunlight. 

Creator Kirsten describes Have A Pancake as "a maple brown varnish with dark brown hexes and microfine copper and white glitter." Perfectly described- the polish absolutely reminds me of maple syrup! The brown hexes flash reddish in the sun, giving it an extra dimension, and the micro glitters offer insane depth. 

The other super cool thing about The Lady Varnishes? Each and every bottle comes with an adorable little beaded charm, which is color coordinated with the polish. You can either keep the charm on the bottle (as I opted to do, since it's very unique) or turn it into jewelry. Every order of four or more bottle includes a chain (with a color choice) to turn your charm into a pendant! There is also an option to have your polishes scented, including a "Surprise Me" option! I chose Surprise Me for my four-polish order, but I'm horrible at identifying scents :( This one was very light and fruity, not at all overpowering, and, based on my conversations with Kirsten, I believe it to be cranberry. It is not like other scented polishes I've tried, as the scent doesn't linger much after the polish dries, but it makes the polishing experience more pleasant :)

Have A Pancake applied very nicely. It was sheer enough on the first coat to give me pause, but it built up to complete opacity in three coats. It could be layered, but I don't see the point, as it's gorgeous on it's own! You would lose the lovely glitter depth by layering. There was no dragging or clumping of glitter, and the polish was a great consistency. My only complaint is that this is not a great color for my skin tone :( I don't really care about that so much, I'll still wear it, but it gives my super pale skin lobster hands. 

The Lady Varnishes can be purchased on Etsy. All full sized bottles are $8.50 and come with a color coordinated charm and the option of adding scent. There are currently over 60 colors to choose from, with collections ranging from Star Wars to Doctor Who to Psych, including a collection I'm VERY excited about- I have three colors to show from it, starting tomorrow, so be sure to check back :) You can Like The Lady Varnishes on Facebook, and follow on her blog as well.