Ida Nails It: May 2015

Friday, May 29, 2015

Cirque Colors The Poolside Collection for Pop-In @ Nordstrom: Swatches and Review

Provided for Review

Hey everyone! Just in time for summer, Pop-In @ Nordstrom is showcasing a Going Poolside theme for June. Tying into that theme, Cirque Colors is releasing The Poolside Collection, an exclusive set of six polishes in cool tones and various finishes.

I can not tell you just how much I loved this collection. The cool crisp blues, the pop of red, the quality of cremes, everything was wonderful. I have come to expect good things from Cirque's polish formula and these lived up to that expectation. I needed just two coats each for the cremes and three for the holos with no issues to report with application. And the cremes water-marble very well! I have a water-marble look I will be posting on my Instagram over the weekend.

The Poolside Collection is a limited edition collection, so if you see something you like, get it before it sells out. The collection has been released as of today and will be available exclusively at Nordstrom stores (listed at the end of the post) and at Nordstrom.com until June 28th. For other polishes from Cirque Colors, check out their website as well as their Facebook page and Instagram.

Cirque Colors Cabana Capri

Three coats

Cyan blue linear holographic

This shade of blue is on the dusky side and it is brightened up the sun. Opaque in two coats but I wanted complete coverage so I applied three with my standard topcoat.

(Direct Sunlight)

Cirque Colors Julep

Three coats

Mint green linear holographic

Very appropriately named! And it makes me make a Mint Julep. As with Cabana Capri, you will have get full coverage with two coats but I did a third for complete opacity.

(Direct Sunlight)

Cirque Colors Monte Carlo

Two coats

Sky blue creme

I used this as a descriptive already in this post but I have to again, so very crisp looking.

Cirque Colors Rita

Two coats

Tomato red creme

A stunner of a red. This is a bit brighter and more poppy than Doyers. Do you need both? Without a doubt.

Cirque Colors Santorini

Two coats

Cobalt blue creme

BLUE with all caps on. It's a mid-tone blue, brighter than NYFW and more of a creme than jelly.

Cirque Colors Summer Soiree

Layered over Monte Carlo

Clear based topper of pale pink and coral glitter

A confetti party on my nails! I like that the string glitter is on the smaller side and the over-all fun and playful look of it.

Cirque Colors Summer Soiree

Layered over Santorini

Another layering combination. I think I prefer it over Santorini, the coral contrasts really well against the darker blue base.

The Poolside Collection is now available through June 28 online at Nordstrom.com and at the following retail locations:

Bellevue Square
100 Bellevue Square
Bellevue, WA 98004
425.455.5800

Downtown Seattle
500 Pine Street
Seattle, WA 98101
206.628.2111

San Francisco Centre
865 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94103

415.243.8500

Garden State Plaza
501 Garden State Plaza
Paramus, NJ 07652

201.843.1122

Oakbrook Center
10 Oakbrook Center
Oak brook, IL 60523

630.571.2121

Tyson's Corner Center
8075 Tysons Corner Center
McLean, VA 22102

703.761.1121

NorthPark Center
8687 North Central Expressway
Dallas, TX 75225

214.231.3900

The Plaza at King of Prussia
190 North Gulph Road
King of Prussia, PA 19406
610.265.6111

Free shipping and free returns is always available at Nordstrom.com.

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Elevation Polish Street Graffiti Collection + When the Cherry Met the Spoon: Swatches and Review

Provided for Review

Hello everyone! I have a Elevation Polish's Street Graffiti Collection for you today, their new collection release for June, as well as When the Cherry Met the Spoon, a non-collection core polish. This collection has polishes with various finishes and colors, all inspired by the urban street graffiti vibe of various major metropolises. As I expect from Elevation Polish, awesome formula and application, though I did include specific formula notes under the polish's descriptions.

The Streets Graffiti Collection Collection (as well as When the Cherry Met the Spoon) will be released June 7th at 9 pm CST in Elevation Polish's shop.

Elevation Polish LA
Three coats
White creme/jelly with soft silver pearl shimmer
This is more of a jelly than creme consistency polish. I got away with three coats, though I did apply thick coats and waited a bit between applying them. You may end up needing four it you apply thin coats or don't wear a base coat. If you don't want to deal with applying four, you could start out with a nice ridge filler base coat and that will help.
With all of that stated, you will be thinking, do I want this polish? I would say yes and here is why I like it. White polishes are tricky, they are known to be streaky and I have yet to meet one that you didn't need a minimum of two coats. While LA won't be replacing my regular white creme, I will wear this when I want an alternative to a stark white creme. The softness of the crelly consistency is awesome and I love the slight silver shimmer. I definitely will be reaching for this polish when I want to use it as a base for nail art or when I need a palette cleanser. Oh and for those who are fans of OPI Don't Touch My Tutu (aka the five coat white jelly), LA is a FAR better polish.

Elevation Polish East London

Layered over Elevation Polish LA

Clear base topper of various ultra chrome flakies and holographic pigment

Chrome flakies, they are tasty aren't they? And I feel like this is a nice way to wear them, with just enough holo to accent and over a light base. And one coat will get you nice full coverage over a base color. You could try to build coats to wear it by itself but I feel you lose the impact of the chrome flakes that way.

Elevation Polish Melbourne

Two coats

Medium blue creme with gold, green, blue, and silver micro shimmer, and added holo pigment

A beautiful color, it has a denim blue look to it. Nice creamy formula consistency and just a dash of holo to give it some sparkle in low and direct sunlight.

Elevation Polish NYC

Two coats

Black creme/jelly with silver shimmer, dries to a matte/rubber finish.

This is without a doubt, my favorite polish from this collection. I love everything about it, the slick black color, the subtle silver shimmer, the easy application, and the matte finish most of all. Like LA, I can see myself using NYC as a blank slate for various nail art but also wearing it just as is. Which I have done already since receiving it. It takes a little bit for it to dry if you choose to wear it without topcoat, I think about 10 to 15 minutes or so. But if it was a quick dry matte, it would be much harder (and thicker) to work with, I prefer easy formula over super quick dry time.

(With Topcoat)

Elevation Polish Paris

Two coats

Prune purple linear holographic of medium density

My oh my, I practically drooled all over myself with this polish. I never thought I would lust after anything with "prune" in the description but there you go. The blackened purple comes alive in direct light, so I do recommend wearing this when you get some sun if possible.

(Direct Sunlight)

Elevation Polish When the Cherry Met the Spoon

Two coats

Berry red with sparse holographic pigment, ultra chrome flakes, charcoal flake shimmer

This is a reformulated version of the previously released SBP When the Cherry Met the Spoon. I loved the original a whole lot so I was excited to see a new non-limited edition release of this. It's juicy and the holo sparkle is awesome in all types of lighting.

I have a bottle of the original SBP: When Cherry Met the Spoon and while I don't think this is a good photo of it (my lighting was off that day), I wanted to include it to show you the small differences. The base color is a little more purple toned and has a heavier holo shimmer. This new version is a more red toned berry shade and while it has a lot shimmer and holo, it has a more jelly consistency. As with previous prototype turned into full releases, you may not need both if you have the original SBP version but I know that there are many EVP customers that missed the SBP who would be happy to see this release.

LINKS!

Elevation Polish:

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Reverie Nail Lacquer Summer Squish Jelly Trio: Swatches and Review

Provided for Review

Hello! I have a few polishes from Reverie Nail Lacquer today. These three polishes make up her upcoming Summer Squish Jelly Trio, all jelly based polishes with colorful glitter. This trio is an awesome way to welcome summer, they are fun and oh so squishy.

Regarding application and formula, the base colors for these are on the sheer side but there is a whole lot of glitter in each polish to help build to opaque-ness. I got full coverage with three coats for my photos below. Depending on how thin or thick you apply polish you will be okay with three coats, maaaybe four if you dislike seeing a visible nail line. And you could layer over a opaque base color but I think they look best in without layering, you will get that juicy jelly shine and "squishiness" best when worn solo. Topcoat is a must, to smooth out the glitters.

The Summer Squish Jelly Trio will be released this Friday May 29th at 10 am CST in Reverie Nail Lacquer's shop. And if you order the entire Trio during the launch weekend (between 5/29 to 5/31) you will receive a free cuticle balm of your choice with your order!

Reverie Nail Lacquer Berry Sorbet

Three coats
Violet jelly polish with vibrant yellow, pink, and red hex and circle glitters and a blue-green iridescent glow
So. very. JUICY. I like the red toned purple with the pop of color against it. I did have to fish a little for the larger pieces of yellow. If you place your bottle upside down for a bit of time before applying, this will solve that.

Reverie Nail Lacquer Fresa

Three coats

Red jelly with pink undertones with red, pink, and mint glitter, blue iridescence, and pink shimmer

Fresa is strawberry in Spanish so I can see the name inspiration. Who loves strawberries?! I DO. No surprise that I love this polish, it's my favorite of the three.

Reverie Nail Lacquer Open Water

Three coats

Sheer blue jelly base with blue, yellow, orange and white glitters in varied sizes and iridescent glitter and shimmer

It brings to mind an image of the a blue waterfront with yellow and orange floats throughout. A fun water inspired look.

LINKS!

Reverie Nail Lacquer:

Etsy Shop

Facebook

Instagram

*The products in this post were sent to me for unbiased review*

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Illyrian Polish The Eerie Woodlands Collection Part Two (Partial) + Moonage Dream Duo: Swatches and Review

Provided for Review

Hey all! I have some polishes from Illyrian Polish to share today. A few of these were a part of her last collection, the Eerie Woodlands Collection, the remaing are her Moonage Dream Duo that was released as a limited edition set in April and finally, Stellar, which was initially released with her debut launch.

I love the dark and moody feel of these. While I do favor and seek out the bold brights that are being released for summer, these are palette cleanser on those days where I just don't feel like wearing a neon or bright polish. Application was easy, I needed no more than two coats for most of the polishes and had no issues whatsoever.

Illyrian Polish will be releasing her upcoming Sea Monster Collection this Friday, May 29th at 6 pm CST in her shop. You can see some swatch photos of those on her Instagram page. I am uncertain if the polishes shown today will be restocked but refer to her Instagram as well as her Facebook page for more restock/release information.

Illyrian Polish Malevolent

Two coats

Dark blue jelly with silver mico-holo glitter, blue/violet color-shifting and green iridescent flakes

There are a number of Malevolent named polishes that have been released by various makers and while they look nice, they never quite live up to their namesake. This totally does!