Nail spam

My polish collection has been steadily growing and so has my obsession with indie brands.

This seems to be the summer of indie polishes, at least for me, and all of the pictures below feature at least one indie brand (except the nail art). If you are a fan of nail polish, take a look around Etsy or at e-tailers like Llarowe, Harlow & Co, or Nail Polish Canada ($3 flat shipping!!) and prepare to be amazed by the creativity of the small batch makers as well as the quality of the products. They easily stack up to, and in many cases surpass, the major brands. These ladies take months to source products and test before listing their creations.

A lot of hard work goes in to creating a unique polish and I am always excited to discover a new brand, be it from word of mouth or random searching. I'm a big Etsy fan anyway and enjoy supporting home-based businesses so discovering this world of indie polish has certainly feuled my urge to collect. :)

| A England base: Dragon; dots, starting from centre: St. George, Holy Grail (new version), Tristam, Princess Tears |

| China Glaze Surreal Appeal topped with Wingdust Collections Gilt-y Pleasure |

| OPI Russian Navy topped with Nail Pattern Boldness Texas Tea |

| Hare Polish Party Palace and studs from the Born Pretty Store |

| Thumb to pinky: Revlon Spirit, Julep Courteney, China Glaze Keep Calm, Paint On, China Glaze Tart-y for the Party, Sally Hansen Lightening, all topped with Lush Lacquer Clowning Around |

| China Glaze Keep Calm, Paint On topped with Emerald & Ash Deconstructed Daisy |

| My first attempt at hand-painted nail art. It's supposed to look like a mountain in a meadow. :/ |

If you have other recommendations for great indie brands, please leave a comment! :)

Bloglovin'

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

NOTD: Leopard spot skittles

I'm home with a sick kid today so I thought I'd use the time while she's napping to do my nails. It's quite warm and almost feels like Spring is coming so I wanted to do something pastel that would remind me of warmer weather. I saw this tutorial from Spektor's Nails on Pinterest and decided to give it a go. I had colours that were similar to what she used but I did pink on my thumb instead of white. I think it turned out quite well.

 

 What I used:

• Base coat: Revlon Multi-Care Base and Top Coat
• Essie Butler Please
• Revlon Eclectic
• China Glaze Pelican Gray
• Julep Carrie
• Revlon Spirit
• Revlon Knockout
• Seche Vite top coat - 2 coats
• dotting tools

Are you starting to lean towards more spring/summer colours? What are your favourites?

Julep Cupid Mystery Box

I'm a sucker for two things: a surprise and a good deal. When Julep combines those two things in their seasonal mystery boxes, you can be sure that I will be purchasing one. With the Cupid Mystery Box offer you were guaranteed to receive at least 4 Valentine's appropriate polishes along with either a mystery holographic or a coupon for the colour of your choice. On top of that there was the possibility of receiving a $1,000 Visa gift card or jewelry from Baublebar. Depending on which box you received, the value ranged from $70 to $200 all for the price of $19.99. Good deal, right?

My box finally arrived yesterday (shipping takes 2-3 weeks to Canada) and I was very excited to see what I got. I received box number seven and am extremely happy with my polish colours and the Camellia lip gloss was a nice addition. Lord knows, I can never have too many lip products.

| I also received a coupon for the colour of my choice. | 

| L to R: Camellia lip vernis, Carrie, Maria, Petra, Morgan |

My favourite of the four is probably Petra - I've been looking at it since it was offered in the December 2012 Maven box. I was also impressed with Maria; I used two coats for the swatch but likely could have gotten away with one.

Now I have to decide on my free colour. Suggestions?

Interested in becoming a Maven? You can currently receive your intro box for a penny! Use the code PENNY when you order.

NOTW : vintage roses

I ordered some dotting tools from Amazon a couple weeks ago and they finally came in last Friday. I couldn't wait to try them out and decided to beat the winter blahs with a manicure that made me think of spring. One of the main places I find inspiration is from Pinterest so I went searching for a photo that struck my fancy. The look that I decided on used a Tiffany blue colour for the base and coral accent nails. Using 4 different size dots, I easily created this take on vintage roses. They kind of remind me of Laura Ashley wallpaper and M. loves them - obsessed!!

| Don't mind the gnarly cuticles and pre-cleanup mess. |

NOTD: Revlon Midnight Affair

As well as getting more into makeup, I've also fallen back in love with nail polish. I love how easy it is to change things up depending on the season or my mood. I've also fallen down the rabbit hole that is indie polishes and recently purchased my first A Englands. This could be dangerous... Check out these beauties.

| Left to right, top photo: St. George, Dragon, Princess Tears |

Here are a few of my most recent manicures.

| Essie Mademoiselle & Set in Stones |

| China Glaze Pelican Grey and Nicole by OPI Rainbow in the S-Kylie |

| Julep Lynn and Sienna |

And my current manicure...

| Revlon Midnight Affair and Nicole by OPI Make a Comet-Ment |

What is your favourite nail polish brand or colour?