ManGlaze Fatty's Got More Blood

After featuring a deep matte red in my last post, I thought I should show you another one today: this is ManGlaze's Fatty's Got More Blood. Whereas Layla Soft Touch Queen Bordeaux is more of a deep brick red, Fatty's Got More Blood has quite a bit of plum in it- it leans decidedly more purple. It also features this extremely fine holographic shimmer in it. It's only visible in direct sunlight, and isn't so apparent in my photos, but it's really pretty. 

Of course, and as always with ManGlaze, we have to talk about the awesome label art. In this case, it features a badass vampire chick indiscriminately gorging on various decapitated body parts. Who doesn't wanna see that on a nail polish bottle?

In this next photo, I think it's almost possible to see the holographic shimmer...

So what do you think of Fatty's Got More Blood? Is this ManGlaze polish calling your name? What do you think of the name/label art?

Layla Soft Touch in #07 Queen Bordeaux + Jindie Nails Candy Cane

Today I've got another festive manicure to share with you- this is Layla Queen Bordeaux with Jindie Nails Candy Cane as an accent nail. I was extremely excited to try out the new Layla Soft Touch line; it features a fairly unique finish, a combination of suede/matte/rubber finishes. It's not as stark or chalky as a straight matte, and the shimmer isn't as evident as with the OPI suede polishes. This has a lot  of depth- it's not immediately apparent in these photos, but Queen Bordeaux has a fiery red metallic shimmer in it, although it's rather subtle. I don't have anything similar to it; Man Glaze's Fatty's Got More Blood is more plum toned, and has very different shimmer. 

Overall, I'm very pleased with how this manicure turned out. I also opted to do an accent nail using Jindie Nails Candy Cane, in order to amp up the festive holiday theme. Candy Cane is a lovely white jelly/creme with different sizes and shapes of red and green glitter in it. It's quite sheer, so expect to use 3-4 coats for full opacity. The end effect is glorious- like crushed candy canes on your nails! 

I think this picture in full sun brings out the depth of Layla Queen Bordeaux the most. Isn't she beautiful?

What do you think of my festive manicure? Are you intrigued by the Layla Soft Touch line, or have you had enough of matte/suede/rubber finish polishes?

Availability: I purchased Layla Queen Bordeaux from Nail Polish Canada, and Jindie Nails from her Etsy shop.

Merry Christmas! Sally Hansen Nail Strips in Prep's Cool

It's rare that I post a manicure on the actual day I happen to be wearing it, but tonight you're getting my *actual* Christmas manicure. Sally Hansen Nail Strips in Prep's Cool are currently adorning my nails, and I couldn't be happier. I actually picked this up last year, but have been saving it for a special occasion; this Christmas certainly qualifies! Not only were these relatively easy to apply, but they look amazing. I'm thrilled with the pattern, and as always, the wear time is second to none. Because we're travelling a bit this holiday, this was the perfect choice- no need to worry about repairing a chipped manicure, and I get about a solid week of wear from the metallic Sally Hansen nail strips before any major flaws show up. I do slap a coat of Seche Vite overtop, and that seems to help ensure extra long wear time (not to mention making my manicure brilliantly shiny). 

And some obligatory manicure pics + seasonal props:

Merry Christmas, dear readers! I hope you're all having a good one.

Lush Lacquer - Birthday Cake

Okay, so this wasn't my birthday manicure this year (this was), but it would have been a fine choice! This is Lush Lacquer's Birthday Cake: a milky white creme base loaded with small multicoloured glitters, as well as a few blue bar glitters. The formula was impressive; very opaque and easy to control, good in two coats. 

What do you think of Lush Lacquer's Birthday Cake? What was your birthday manicure of choice this year?

Zoya Gemma

Zoya's Gemma is a drab olive green with a subtle (but not completely hidden) blue flash. The formula was excellent, and covered nicely in two coats. 

This will be a lovely colour for spring, and I'm looking forward to wearing it then... what do you think of Zoya Gemma? Do you like to wear these types of olive/army greens? 

My Birthday Manicure- Zoya Caitlin and Essie Stroke of Brilliance

Although my birthday was actually at the end of November, I'm just getting around to sharing my birthday manicure with you now. Well, better late than never, because this is a really good one!

I decided to layer a gradient of Essie Stroke of Brilliance (a gorgeous smokey metallic blue glitter that I've been dying to get my hands on for ages) over Zoya Caitlin (a demure blue-grey). I'm absolutely smitten with the tone-on-tone creme + glitter combination of steely blues.

Zoya Caitlin by itself:

I really loved wearing this, and left it on for several days (an achievement for me, seeing as how I usually have a very short lacquer attention span). I thought this was a very "chic" glitter manicure; subtle and elegant, but still reflective and sparkly- it definitely caught the light in intriguing ways.

What did you think of my birthday manicure?

Hare - King of Carat Flowers

I've got a quick post for you tonight featuring a very pretty polish: Hare Polish's King of Carat Flowers. This is from a recent collection, and consists of a milky white/grey base positively loaded with massive amounts of gold and pale purple glitter in different sizes and shapes. The formula on this was super thick, and challenging to apply. Next time I wear it, I'll probably thin it out with Seche Restore. That said, the end result was quite worth it! This reminds me of granite. Very striking, and I love these colours together!

What do you think of Hare's King of Carat Flowers? I'm curious about the name- does anyone have an idea as to what the reference is here? Let me know in the comments!

A-England Princess Sabra / Black Cat Lacquer Black Hole

I must say, I have never been let down by an A-England polish. Another amazing colour with a flawless formula. Princess Sabra is a gorgeous golden-olive with a linear holographic effect. This was such a dream to apply and wear... it just feels effortlessly chic. 

I decided to attempt an accent nail with Black Cat Lacquer's Black Hole, although I think a different base colour might have helped it pop more. Love the holographic black diamond glitter in this, though. The bottle looked amazing in the sun (somewhat visible in the second picture).

What do you think of A-England's Princess Sabra? Can you think of any other possible pairings for Black Hole?

Finally, I'll leave you with a few details about a recent purchase; every holiday I look forward to holiday-themed scents. Philosophy is a notable one for putting out delicious-smelling shower gels, and this year I couldn't resist their "Cookbook": a set of four scented shower gels in Old-Fashioned Eggnog, Buttered Rum, Cinnamon Buns, and Peppermint Bark.

I'm happy to say that all of these smell delicious, and I've especially been enjoying the eggnog and buttered rum scents... because it's basically a perfect start to the day when I can roll out of bed, jump into the shower, and come out smelling like rum.

A few festive Pirate Polish manicures!

I'm getting into the Christmas mood (Christmas music, baking cookies, wrapping presents...), and I wanted to share a few festive manicures I've done lately using some of the Pirate Polish Holiday Collection lacquers. 

Joyeux Noel, layered over a silver foil (Sally Hansen Celeb City); this one is a strong candidate for official Christmas Day manicure.

Holiday Glow, layered over Essie No More Film (which is my go-to for layering lately- it's perfect in just one coat). I love how rich and luxurious this looks.

And finally, Christmas Tree In Blue; it makes me think of snowy blue Christmas trees. A nice image!

And that's what I've got to share with you today, along with a reminder that December 10 is the last day to place an order destined for the US or Canada that will (likely) arrive before Christmas Day. So if anyone is looking to order some Christmas polishes, check the Pirate Polish Etsy shop out soon! As always, you can also find Pirate Polish on Facebook.

Thanks for looking, and happy holidays!

Hare - Atolla

I've got another Hare polish to show you tonight- this time it's "Atolla" from a recent Hare collection that is inspired by the world of marine bioluminescence. I find the concept behind this collection riveting- the deep sea is such a relatively unexplored territory, and bioluminescence is just, well... cool! 

Onwards to the pictures; this is Atolla, a juicy raspberry jelly packed with iridescent blue glitter. 

See how deliciously jelly-ish the base is?

Bioluminescence? Check!

And with that, I'll leave you with this video of wacky deep sea creatures that glow. Enjoy! 

Hare - Magic Mist

This is Hare's Magic Mist: a milky purple creme packed with purple, blue, and orange glitter. The formula was a little challenging (very thick/sticky), but the end result is well worth it. A funky, glittery, purple jelly-sandwich effect.

What do you think of Hare's Magic Mist? Do you think it's pretty magical?