Polish My Life Holiday Collection: Swatches and Review

Purchased by Me

Hey guys! For your humpday viewing pleasure, I have Polish My Life's Holiday Collection. These three polishes are available right this moment in her shop, though Un-Teal Next Year and White Ice will no longer be available after this Friday, January 9th. 

I loved this collection. The colors are seasonal but very wearable any time of the year. As for the polish formula, perfection. If you are a creme polish lover and this brand isn't on your radar, they 100% should be. 

Polish My Life Un-Teal Next Year

Two coats

Teal/green creme

Polish My Life White Ice 

Three coats

White creme with silver micro-shimmer and a touch of holo

Polish My Life Pom Pom Spice

Two coats

Dark dark berry red creme

My favorite of the trio!

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Elevation Polish A Journey Told Through Music Collection: Swatches and Review

Provided for Review 

Hello! I have a new collection from Elevation Polish to share with you all today. I am very excited for this month's selection, A Journey Told Through Music Collection consists of six polishes (plus one limited edition Yeti polish), all inspired by songs that are memorable to the Lulu. As someone who can be music obsessive (that itself is an understatement) I enjoy getting a peek into what songs led an Elevation Polish collection. All the polishes shown today will be released during the next Elevation Polish restock, 9 pm CST on January 7th, in her shop. 

If you would like to listen to the songs that inspired by A Journey Told Through Music Collection, I have a Spotify playlist that you can listen to and I have also linked YouTube videos under each polish. 

Elevation Polish Definition: The Vivid Unknown
Two coats
Dark blue creme with a touch of teal
Inspired by Definition and The Vivid Unknown both by Yo-Yo Ma and Philip Glass
I can never have too many dark blue cremes, especially when Elevation produces one. Formula is dreamy and it has amazing shine. I can see myself reaching for this over and over again.

Elevation Polish Just Like Night Time

Two coats
Navy medium to high density holo with teal and aqua shimmer.
Inspired by Harry Nilsson's Life Line 
Another dark blue but on the other end of the spectrum with it's flashy shimmer and high impact holo flame.

(Direct Sunlight)

Comparison!

I wanted to compare Just Like Night Time against another Elevation blue holo, The Darkest Storm, which is now discontinued. The colors are similar but not entirely the same. The Darkest Storm has a bit more green in the coloring, whereas Just Like Night Time is a deep true navy blue. The Darkest Storm is also more thin formula wise, needing three coats for full opaque coverage compared to Just Like Night Time's two coats. 

Elevation Polish Quarter Past Midnight

Three coats

Blue to purple duo-chrome with glints of red and gold. 

Inspired by DJ Shadow's Midnight In a Perfect World

Uh yes please! I never try of duo-chrome polishes, especially when it doesn't require layering to get the full duo-chrome effect. You could layer over black or another dark base and then just apply one coat of Quarter Past Midnight but really, no need to do that. 

Elevation Polish Storm In the Morning Light

Two coats

Mid tone blue gray creme

Inspired by Portishead's Roads

I can be very picky with gray polishes, so much of the time they fall flat to me. But this has enough blue in it to make it feel fresh. It may appear darker on some, depending on your skin tone. And of course, you have that impeccable Elevation creme formula, with that high shine. 

Elevation Polish The Sea was Red

Two coats

Red/orange to gold duo-chrome with high density holo

Inspired by Led Zeppelin's Going to California 

The kind of polish that makes me go WHAT THE MOTHER FLIPPING IS THIS?! But in a good way! It has my personal favorite kind of duo-chrome shift (red/orange/gold) and is blindingly holographic. The kind of polish that has you holding your hand out in admiration, all. day. long. 

(Direct Sunlight)

Comparison!

If you recall, there was a SBP (small batch prototype) a few months ago called The Red Sea, which was tweaked and revised to now what is now The Sea Was Red. Comparing the two, there is a slight difference in the coloring, The Red Sea has a stronger red/orange color dominance, compared to the more gold dominant The Sea Was Red. But both have super strong holo flames and both have about the same formula opaqueness. 

Elevation Polish Walk a Little Farther

Three coats

Light sky blue creme with blue micro-shimmer. 

Inspired by Modest Mouse's The World at Large

This fits that song inspiration perfectly. It's an understated color but it has that effortless, airy quality to it. And I love the pearl-like blue shimmer a whole lot. More on the thick side formula wise but no problems with application. 

Comparison!

This time between Walk a Little Farther and Alphubel, a long discontinued Elevation. And while Alphubel remains dear to me, Walk a Little Farther is a better version, it's lighter and more opaque, though the shimmer is more prominent in Alphubel. 

Elevation Polish Yeti Hugs: Feel so Close

Three coats

Off white creme/jelly with blue, pink, and purple micro-flake shimmer. 

Inspired by Calvin Harris' Feel So Close

I would love to receive a Yeti Hug, just putting that out there. But I will take this polish instead, a wonderful light palette cleanser off white with the flake shimmer to give it some detailing. As with past Yeti polishes, Yeti Hugs is a limited edition polish, available only during the month of January. 

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Chaos & Crocodiles Après-ski, Charmed, & Silent Wings: Swatches and Review

Purchased by Me

Hey guys! After some time off for the holiday season, it's time to get back to a regular routine. How about a few Chaos & Crocodiles polishes to start us off? These were purchased right after Thanksgiving, which was her last restock. If you have been following Chaos & Croc's Facebook page, there are more flakie polishes to come, so hopefully a restock will be happening soon. 

Chaos & Crocodiles Après-ski 

Layered over Pahlish Brand New Baubles

Clear based topper of white, powder blue, and aqua glitter with white & aqua shimmer.

Pretty much perfect for winter! I don't see a lot of snow in Texas but I can enjoy the romanticism of it on my nails without the actual chill. This is especially nice over a darker color, you can see that colored shimmer better. 

Chaos & Crocodiles Charmed 

Layered over American Apparel African Violet

Clear base with pink to purple to copper flakes. 

Mmmmm them flakes. The color transition is amazing, best over a darker base. Charmed has two versions, one is meant as a topper, the other version has more flakes and could be worn by itself, I got the first topcoat version. 

Chaos & Crocodiles Charmed with Matte topcoat

Chaos & Crocodiles Silent Wings

Layered over Sinful Gel Tech Mirror Mirror

Clear base with copper to green to gold. 

I am not sure if I chose the best color to layer Silent Wings over but I wanted to try something besides black. There are just so many colors that peak through when you angle your nails this way and that. And easy to apply, with just one layer of topcoat. Again, this is the topcoat version of Silent Wings, as opposed the extra flake, more opaque version. 

Chaos & Crocodiles Silent Wings with Matte topcoat

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My Favorite Polishes of 2014

Happy New Year! YAY it's 2015! 2014, well I think it was a good and bad year, some great things happened but some so so stuff did too. I will be turning 30 in 2015 which is something I am not 100% looking forward to BUT I am determined to make some lifestyle and attitude changes this year,  so here is making 2015 a great one! 

I have been seeing a number of best of 2014 lists and had grand plans regarding a few different posts but with the holiday season busyness and then me getting sick (bronchitis is the WORST) those plans fell by the wayside. What I have instead are some of my favorite polishes that were released in 2014. 

Looking back, this is probably the year that I gave in to the color pink. But my love for cremes, holos and glitters as well as warm and bright colors is a constant. 

Listed in alphabetical order, here are my personal favorites of 2014: 

Chaos & Crocodiles Cupcake Ninja 

Sarey did a wonderful job this year with her Secret Agent Collection and evolving her brand. My favorite Chaos & Crocs polish is this gorgeous pink that she released early in 2014. It's so bright! 

Crows Toes Candies Brains Anyone?

Layered over Sinful Gel Tech Mirror Mirror

Mz Crows does some stunning glitter polishes, like drool-all-over-your-nail stunning. The color combination of this polish from the Halloween A Box, Indied is unique and oh so tasty.

Cupcake Polish America the Beautiful 

This was the year that I discovered Cupcake Polish and I am so glad that I did. Sara has a way of creating beautiful holo polishes that feel fresh and that is no easy task with how many holo polishes are released. This berry holo was her first Sweet Addictions monthly box polish. 

Darling Diva Polish BEWBS!

Yeah it was a no-brainer that Bewbs was going to end up on my best of 2014 list. My favorite holo polish of the year. 

Darling Diva Polish FTS

Another Darling Diva on this year's list because it had to be done. Carrie has come so far in her brand and this was a fucking GREAT year for her. We got to see so many different collections from Darling Diva and I am very excited to see what 2015 is going to bring. 

Different Dimension Thriller 

Diffferent Dimension is another brand that I become more familiar with in 2014 and I happy I got that chance. Thriller is a one of those sleeper hits I feel like. It may go unnoticed compared to her holos and glitters but it's so striking with it's copper and purple color combination. 

Digital Nails Solar Flare

SOLID GOLD. UGH YES PERFECTION. 

I have seen a few sneaks of what Digital Nails is plotting for 2015 and I can hardly wait! 

Elevation Polish Cerro Torre 2

Elevation Polish, well what can I say regarding the brand that I haven't said already? I mean you could look at the past 68 posts on my blog to just see how much I love and believe in this brand and in Lulu. And she has created some of the most beautifully themed collections of polish this year. But my favorite two polishes that she released this year are a creme and crelly. Cerro Torre 2 is the most luscious neutral I have. It's perfect to wear by itself and to use for nail art. 

Elevation Polish Mount McKinley 

Mount McKinley, what a pretty pretty purple. For me, it's the perfect shade of soft purple, bright without going dusky. Dreamy. 

Essie Strut Your Stuff

This is the year that Essie drew me in. Maybe it was that they were releasing more bright colors. It may have also been because my local nail supplier started carrying them but either way, I am keeping them on my radar. The whole Haute in the Heat Summer 2014 Collection was a win, probably my favorite mainstream collection of the year and Strut You Stuff is the perfect blue, bright and bold with just enough white in it. 

Hare Polish The Blooming Desert 

Oh Hare, man Nikole can slay me with each one of her polishes. What she does with her color creativity astounds me each time. The Blooming Desert is just one example. The orange and pink and glints of gold, swoooon. 

Illamasqua Destiny 

I have come to realize that I don't really like green as much as I thought I did. But there are a few exceptions to that and Destiny is one of them. That gold in that green, it's like a punch to the gut. But in a good way! Unfortunately it's harder and harder to get hands on Illamasqua polishes, especially their non US exclusives. 

Indigo Bananas Bridal Veil

Indigo Bananas did some freaking awesome things with polish in 2014. Her entire Halloween collection is an example of that. But the one that drew me in immediately and wouldn't let go was Bridal Veil. That pure silver with the added holo, it requires all the curse words to show your excitement. 

OPI Red Hot Rio

OPI is always reliable and I think they had some great colors this year. I am excited for their 2015 offerings for sure. And while they did a shit ton of red polishes (not all that memorable), my favorite of them all is Red Hot Rio. It's the perfect red, in my humble opinion, and one that I have worn over and over again. 

Orly Ablaze 

Orly can be hit or miss, mostly miss but when they do it well, they can really excite me, like their Summer Baked collection. And yeah, it's a surprise to no one that the one I liked the most is the neon orange with that yummy shimmer. 

Pahlish The Virgin Queen 

Evolving, that may be the actual theme of 2014, as I go through this list, and Pahlish is definitely a brand that evolved this year. So. many. mouth-dropping, drool-worthy Pahlishes were released. We had a number of awesome collections, the continuance of their monthly duos, and their introduction of their Bespoke Batches. The Virgin Queen is crazy beautiful, with it's deep color, holo sparkles, and added flakes. 

piCture pOlish Bridget 

I had some fun with piCture pOlish this year with their Blog/Insta Fest 2014, but the polish that grabbed me the most was Bridget. Not a lot of reasoning except RED and HOLO and yeah, that's about it. 

Scofflaw Atomic Poodle 

Okay one last mention of brand evolution but I have to bring that up when I talk about Scofflaw Nail Varnish. Finch is a maker that takes her skill and creativity and brings it the the next level with each new collection that she releases. I feel like this year, she went more subtle, going less away from glitters (though not entirely) and we got to see some wonderful shimmers and cremes and flakie polishes from Scofflaw. Atomic Poodle is a prime example of that. And it's pink!