Bananamelon Thump Smoothie by Silly Bees Chickadees

Le sigh- today is a sad day, as it brings us to the final Fruit Basket Smoothie polish from Silly Bees Chickadees. You can see the previous entries here: Bring Us A Figgy Mango and Orange You A Honeydew. I saved my favorite for last, but I would LOVE to see a sequel to this collection!

Bananamelon Thump Smoothie: two coats alone, topped with Seche Vite. First photo taken in natural sunlight, all remaining photos taken under Ott Lite. 

Creator Melissa calls Bananamelon Thump a "single serving of bananas (matte yellow hexes and squares) and watermelon (matte pink hexes and squares) in a creamy white base." Love it! 

Strawberry-Banana would have been the obvious way to go with this one, and I love that it's tweaked a little bit- and Watermelon Banana is a flavor combo I would DIE to try!

Formulation on this polish was the same as the other two: Two coats went on absolutely perfectly, and it was plenty of coverage, with no VNL in sight. The glitter applies evenly without clumping, and two coats gave a perfect amount of glitter coverage. And remember- the coolest thing about the Fruit Basket collection polishes is that if you're not into white based glitters, the exact same glitter mixes are available in a clear base under the same name, only Cocktails, rather than Smoothies! 

Silly Bees Chickadees polishes are available on Etsy, and can be liked on Facebook. I strongly recommend you click on both of those links right now! :)

Have you tried any Silly Bees polishes yet? Thoughts? What is your favorite oddball fruit combo in a smoothie?

Orange You A Honeydew Smoothie by Silly Bees Chickadees

It's no secret that I'm SICK to death of winter! It snowed again today, enough to make me have to brush it off of my car this morning. I'm SO ready for spring, and summer! I have another Smoothie polish to show you from Silly Bees Chickadees today, and it makes me wish there was a smoothie shop in my town, along with nice enough weather to walk to it!

Today's smoothie is Orange You a Honeydew, which creator Melissa calls a "full size serving of oranges (matte orange hexes, pale yellow squares) and honeydew (matte pale green hexes) in a milky white base."

Shown is TWO coats (I learned from the last time!) of Orange You a Honeydew, topped with Seche Vite. All photos are taken under Ott Lite. 

The cool thing about Silly Bees' Fruit Basket line, of which this is a part, is that each color is available in two versions- the Smoothies, in a white creme base, and the Cocktails, which is the exact same glitter mix, but in a clear base. I'm not the biggest fan of glitter topcoats, but I AM a big fan of fun and unique white based glitters! Let me know in the comments which are more up your alley!

Application on this puppy was considerably easier than Bring Us A Figgy Mango- mostly because I learned from that one that three coats isn't necessary! Orange You A Honeydew was a bit thick, but not at all unmanageable. The only real problem I had with this polish was in photographing it- the pale yellow and green glitters didn't want to show up on my camera! But I promise they're in there :) Orange Honeydew doesn't sound like the best flavor combination (partially because  I'm not a big melon fan), but the colors are so cute!

Silly Bees Chickadees polishes are available on Etsy- run over there now, as there are a few VERY limited edition polishes from a collaborative collection with Sonoma called Don't Eat the Polish! Like Silly Bees on Facebook too- there is currently a coupon code, and there are frequent swatches and other goodies :)

Bring Us A Figgy Mango by Silly Bees Chickadees

I know I'm a bit late to this bandwagon, but I have finally jumped on: I LOVE white based glitter polishes! Not just the basic white with rainbow, but the ones that are really creative and fun, like ALL THREE of the polishes I'll be showing you from Silly Bees Chickadees over the next few days!

First up is Bring Us a Figgy Mango Smoothie. Creator Melissa says: "This listing is for one full size serving of figs (matte lavender and purple hexes), mango (matter orange hexes and matte pale yellow squares) in a milky white base." Bring Us a Figgy Mango is a part of the Fruit Basket Collection, which is very cool in that each color comes in two versions: the Smoothies, which are white based, and then the Cocktails, which are clear based with all of the same glitters. Perfect if you're not such a white polish fan, or if you just want to see it with some different colored undies!

This is three coats of Figgy Mango alone, topped with Seche Vite. All photos are taken under Ott Lite. 

I'm quite surprised at how much I loved this combo- purple, orange and yellow seem like very odd bedfellows, but in the white base, it really does remind me of a smoothie. Now I just wish I could find a smoothie stand that used figs, because I love them!

Onto the nitty gritty: First off, I love the circular bottles. They are round and flat, and they are unique in my polish collection. I enjoy different bottles because they make finding a particular indie polish in my stash very easy: I have three Silly Bees polishes, so I have a one in three chance of grabbing the right polish without digging through the whole pile! Application was great on the first two coats- smooth, even and no glitter clumping- and I really should have stopped there, as it would have been plenty of coverage. But, three coat whore that I am, I had to go for that third, and it got a bit hairy. The polish started clumping up a bit and feeling thick. So take my advice, and stop at two coats, no matter how used to three you are, no matter how much you may want to do three. 

Silly Bees Chickadees polishes, including the Fruit Basket Collection, the Beverage Cart Collection (neutral jellies!) and the soon to be released Don't Eat the Polish Collection, can be purchased on Etsy. Melissa also offers nail wraps and the cutest ever dessert themed  pincushions! Be sure to like on Facebook as well :)

Sugary Sweet Death: I Killed the Teen Dream by Tara's Nail Art

"I killed Liz. I killed the Teen Dream. Deal with it!" 

Meet I Killed the Teen Dream by Tara's Nail Art. This polish is named for a line in the teen murder comedy Jawbreaker. It is a very slightly milky base with multi rainbow metallic glitters. I layered three coats of Teen Dream over a metallic silver, topped with a coat of Seche Vite. Photos taken indoors under a "natural" light bulb. 

The base in this polish was too lightly tinted to wear on its own without VNL, but it would look great over a variety of colors.

You can see that the base dulled my silver undies just a bit. 

An awkward comparison photo: thumb shows three coats of I Killed the Teen Dream alone.

I Killed the Teen Dream applied very easily. Smooth, even glitter coverage. The base is sheer enough that is can go over any color, but it will alter that color slightly, making it a bit more subtle. Average dry time and not at all gritty or topcoat-hungry,

Tara's Nail Art polishes can be purchased on Etsy. Most polishes are only available as minis, for $3, while the few full sized polish go for $7. All polishes are movie themed, and great movies, too! There is a whole new collection based on Empire Records, one of my absolute favorite movies from high school! Tara also makes adorable nail polish jewelry.

Support your indies, ladies!

Cheers,

-Liz-

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

SCENTED Lollipop Explosion by Wonder Beauty Products

Ladies, how much do you LOVE scented nail polish? Every time I see any polish that is scented, it takes me right back to being 6 years old, painting my fingertips (not nails, but whole fingertips- don't even act like you were a pro at 6 years old!) with with weird, Kool-Aid-y smelling polish. Scented polish has always kind of been kid's domain- candy colors and kid friendly smells- until now! Scent has now hit the INDIE world, and I couldn't be more excited!

Meet the first of two SCENTED polishes I have to show you, from Wonder Beauty Products. This is Lollipop Explosion.

Lollipop Explosion is a white creme-jelly base filled with metallic hexes, matter shatters and white bars, and it's hard candy scented! It's a sweet smell without being horribly cloying- it's very grown up. It actually reminds me of a fruity cocktail- my roommate's favorite drink is Cherry Doctor/Dr. Pepper, and the smell is somewhat reminiscent of that!

This is three coats of Lollipop Explosion, with an accent nail of two coats over Wet N Wild Tickled Pink, topped with a coat of Seche Vite. Photos taken in full sunlight.

A beautiful white glitter polish. BUT SCENTED!

A closeup, to better see the glitters. Lollipop Explosion went on very well- smoothly, easy glitter application, no clumping or dragging. The smell is strongest while it's wet, but it's not overpowering. And it isn't something you can smell from a mile away, which is awesome. If your hands are near your face, you can smell it, but you won't walk around having people ask if you bought new perfume! It's a very nice balance of scented, but not in your face. And it lasts: even through a coat of topcoat, you can still smell the candy scent! I painted my nails at night, and the scent lasted all through shopping the next day. It dulled considerably after a shower, but was still there if you sniffed really closely! 

Also: the shatter glitter (shrapnel from the Explosion?) is sheer. See how that red shatter on my nail shows the white bar underneath it? Very cool.

Wonder Beauty Products in the first small indie maker that I've seen with scented polish! I know Cirque polishes are subtly scented, but I think they're all the same aromatherapy scent. Wonder Beauty offer this one, Clown Toots- "circus" scented like cotton candy and popcorn, Hot for Teacher- cinnamon scented, and Sorceress (which I'll be showing you soon!)- black licorice scented!

WBP polishes are available on Etsy. Regular full sized bottles are $10, scented are $11 and palettes (little pots, as seen here) are $12. The scented polishes do not appear to be available in palette form. Be sure to like WBP on Facebook and follow along on the Wonder Beauty blog for updates, reviews, previews and giveaways!

Have you tried Wonder Beauty Products yet? Which are your favorites? Crotch Rocket is still one of my favorite greys :)

Support your indies, ladies!

Cheers, 

-Liz-

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

Master Shake!! by Daring Digits

One of the first polish blogs that I came across and started following was Polished Cousins. Erin, one of aforementioned cousins, posted a while back that she hated the term "lemming" as applied to polish. It seems to imply that you want it only because everyone else does, at least to me. Her proposed replacement? Stalkee. I absolutely agree that a new term is needed, but I don't really stalk polish either. So my term: crush. I totally have a crush on this polish. Have since the first time I saw it, and I knew it would eventually be mine. 

Ladies: Meet Master Shake by Daring Digits. I love to look through Etsy's sold listings as well as available polish, to better get a feel for the polishes the shop is able to make. I made it as far as Master Shake before I stopped dead, and sent a convo asking Ashley to make it for me. Alas, the base was out of stock :( Hence it wasn't listed. But never fear!, she assured me, as it was on the way, and would be restocked soon! So I waited. And waited. And saw the frosty version of this polish, which- obviously- would not cut it. Then finally, after long years of agony (or perhaps a few weeks), I chanced to catch a glimpse of that oh-so-coveted creamy base on my Etsy sidebar! ::SNAP:: Into my cart it goes, along with select other Daring Digits to be shown at a later date. Enough of the saga- read on to see why I was so in love with Master Shake!

Ashley, an avid ATHF fan, calls this polish her "tribute to Master Shake. White base polish with pink and yellowish gold glitter." It is also available in a frosty white base by special request. But cremes are my thing, girls. I NEEDED the creamy base! 

Instead of your typical "holding the polish bottle" photo op, I wanted to show this photo- the never-before-seen "holding a bottle of milk" photo op :) For science, of course! The base of this polish isn't truly white-white, but kind of a less yellow buttermilk color. A gorgeous, off-white speckled with pink and gold. 

Against another white background. This is three coats of Master Shake alone, topped with Seche Vite. Photos taken outdoors in direct and indirect sunlight. 

In the shade. This photo doesn't really offer anything that the others don't, but I like to show you a variety of lighting when available.

O.M.G. I never say that, but seriously- what else can be said? 

This polish went on like a dream- it was everything I wanted it to be! I personally wouldn't recommend layering this polish over white (as might be expected), simply because the gorgeous glitter depth would be lost. I did try it out on a nail wheel, but immediately rejected the idea. Master Shake's creamy base built to opacity in three coats, and the floating glitter look is amazing. I seriously love glitter creme-jellies. (Often called crellies, but I dislike that term as well.)

Daring Digits polish can be purchased on Etsy- slightly more than full size bottles (16.5ml as opposed to 15ml) are $7.75, and minis are $4.25. Ashley offers the gamut of polishes from glitter toppers to glitter in colored bases to interference polishes, and even a few shimmers. All polishes are 3-free, made with suspension base and stainless steel mixing balls. Be sure to check out Daring Digits on Facebook, instagram (#daringdigits ) and their very own blog as well.

Support your indies, ladies!

Cheers,

-Liz-

Funfetti Cake Nails: Confetti by Miss March

I was always a bit afraid of the white-out-as-nail-polish look that seems to come from white creme polishes, but my mind is changing. There are so many adorable glitter combinations that really pop against a white base.

This is Confetti by Miss March. It is a white creme polish with mixed matte glitter. And it is shiny! No topcoat featured in this photo! 

Looks like cake frosting- I love me some Funfetti cake :) This is two coats of Confetti alone, no topcoat. Photos taken in indoor "natural" light with no flash.

Then I though: "If any polish could really benefit from a matte topcoat, it's one that looks like frosting." So I went ahead and matted it with NYC Matte Me Crazy topcoat.

I'm not the biggest fan of matte in the world, but there are some polishes that just call out for it, and I think this was one of them. The glitter colors just jump off the white when the shine isn't there.

This polish applied like there wasn't even glitter in it. Smooth and even, no fishing, no glitter clumping, no muss, no fuss. The white is very opaque. I think a white base coat would be a waste of time/polish- Confetti really did the trick all by itself. It wasn't so thick that the glitter got buried either- just enough of a white coat to complete that frosting look. 

Miss March polishes can be purchased on Etsy. Minis bottles are $5 and full size are $8. She also has a Bonus Buy listed in her shop, where you can get a full sized "Mystery Polish" for $3 with the purchase of any other full sized polish.