Anchor & Heart Lacquer

Sunken Treasure time

Hey, y'all!  Does it seem to you that time flies sometimes?  Or maybe all the time!  Not long ago it felt like the summer was just dragging and I was longing for the official start to Fall.  I love Fall.  Love it!  Besides the beautiful fall colors (nail polish!!), the weather change also makes running more enjoyable.  My favorite thing to do, as you know, is painting nails.  But.. besides that, I love baking cookies and running!  Actually.. I think I run because I love baking cookies so much.  ha ha....  If there is any interest, I might post about my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe or about my running.  Please leave a comment if you'd be interested!

ANYWAY.. you're here for the polish!  I have a new one for you!  This is one I picked up earlier this year and just set it aside because I thought the color would be great for fall.  This isn't a named polish, other than #190.  The maker sometimes has small batches where she tests out different finishes and mixes.  They are pretty, but don't make the cut for a collection she's working on.  So, what she does is offer them as mystery polishes!  Her mystery polishes are Sunken Treasures, which is a play on the name of her polish line (Anchor & Heart Lacquer).  This polish is a deep green holographic polish that contains a little bit of a blue shift or maybe a blue shimmer in some lights.  The formula was PERFECT.  No kidding!  I applied 3 thin coats and sealed with a glossy top coat (Rica Glossy Glam).  What do you think.. is this polish OK for Fall?  :)  

Besides creating some beautiful polish, the owner is so sweet and thoughtful!  I am really happy I stumbled into the Indie Polish world!

Shop link here: www.anchorandheartlacquer.com
Find Anchor & Heart on Instagram, too at @anchorheartlacquer

Bliss Polish Summer Nights Trio

I hope everyone is having a good day!  Today I have a fun little trio from Bliss Polish to share with you.  It is a summer release, but I think these will also work well in the Fall months.  The tones are very rich and deep and remind me of sparkling gems.  

Application notes:  My photos show 2 coats on each color; excellent control and great formula on all three.  These dry fairly smooth, even with all the glitter!  So, I think a regular layer of your favorite top coat will be just fine.  I used Rica Glossy Glam for my photos and Polish 'M matte top coat for the matte versions.

Cocktails at Midnight
This is a teal jelly base packed with coordinating microglitters in silver (holographic) and turquoise.  I wore this one first and sort of wish I'd saved it for last!  It's my favorite of the group (I know.. even though there is a blue in here.. unbelievable, right?!) and so I have lots more pictures!  I think this is just so pretty.  It is currently sold out individually, but still available as part of the trio.

indirect natural light

with matte top coat

Hottie in Pink
This is a dark pink jelly base with coordinating holographic micro glitters in silver and fuschia.  I don't typically go after pink polishes because sometimes they tend to wash out on me.  But, this one is so bright and vibrant!  I love this!

with matte top coat

Stargazing in the Pool
This is a bright blue jelly filled with holographic silver micro glitter and dark blue holographic glitter.  Super close to being my favorite of the bunch, and it would be if the teal hadn't been so amazing.  Still, I think it's such a pretty polish.

with matte top coat

The Summer Nights Trio is currently still available, so take a look!  My experience with Bliss Polish has been nothing but positive, which is why the brand is one of my favorites.  

Shop links:
Bliss Polish
Rica
Polish 'M

Thanks for stopping by!
XO,
Vanessa

Cupcake Pollish Berry Good Looking

Hey!  You're still here!

Today's post will be super short, just to share this one pretty with you.  

As the title suggests, this is Cupcake Polish Berry Good Looking, a cult favorite in the indie polish world.  I was really curious about this polish and was super excited when I won this little gem through an Instagram giveaway!

My photos show 2 coats plus a glossy top coat; application was fairly easy.  The holo flame on this polish is pretty incredible, even in normal indoor lighting.  In the sunlight it's just blinding!  I tried to capture some of this beauty with my photos here.

Under artificial light (ottlight)

Sunlight shots

I wore the polish for 3 days without any noticeable wear.  That's pretty good for me since I think my nails are tools and use them for pretty much everything! 

However.. be careful with this one.  It did stain my nails ever so slightly and I nearly panicked.  Ok, I did panic.  But, it seemed to be mostly gone within a day.  And yes, I did use a base coat.  I'm not sure if it was the polish, or if it was the method I used to remove the polish.  Either way, next time I wear this, I think I'll double up on the base coat.

XO
Vanessa

Polish 'M Fall collection - Pt. 3

Moody & Mysterious

This portion of the Polish 'M collection contains my absolute favorite -- dark polishes!  I think dark, moody, vampy polishes can be worn year-round, and that's exactly what I plan to do with these!  We have two dark browns, one that looks almost black, and a deep wine/cranberry color that glows from within. Onward!

Color Me Autumn
A deep plum jelly base filled with lots of gold micro shreds, purple iridescent micro glitter, light blue and orange metallic micro glitter and gold galaxy holo.  My photos show 2 careful coats.  I went pretty slow on this one because jelly polishes and I aren't the best of friends.  I didn't have to stress too much, though, because it went on really easily and glitter distribution was good.  It just begs to be matted.  Which way do you prefer?

Color Me Autumn with glossy top coat

Color Me Autumn with matte top coat

 
Lone Scarecrow
A blackened brown base with iridescent and holo micro flakes, galaxy holo, silver micro shreds, magenta micro glitter and a little Spectraflair.  My photos show 2 EASY coats.  Wow, just wow.  This polish looks black in most lighting, and will appear a very deep brown in others.  It looks fantastic either glossy or matte.  I think I prefer the matte version just a tiny bit more.  When swatching the collection I made sure to save this one for last because I knew I wanted to have it on my nails a little longer.  I bet this looks great on really short nails, too!  Perfect polish!

Lone Scarecrow with glossy top coat

Lone Scarecrow with matte top coat

Woodland Stroll
A chocolate brown base with magic holo flakes, aqua and red-gold micro flakes and orange iridescent glitter.  My photos show 2 easy coats.  Your search for the perfect brown is over!  Trust me.. this one is it!  The formula is perfect and it looks so amazing when the sun catches it.  I love the matte version, too.  A+ on this one!

Woodland Stroll with glossy top coat

Woodland Stroll with matte top coat

You can probably guess my favorite from this bunch!  Lone Scarecrow is so amazing, and I am most definitely getting at least one back up bottle of this one.  It's just so perfect for me, as if I had asked Michelle to create a polish exactly for me and this was the result.  I said before (part 1 of this review) that my favorite polish, indie or mainstream, is Polish 'M Reli-A-Bull.  Well... Lone Scarecrow has officially risen in the ranks and is now tied for favorite.

I will write a post about Reli-A-Bull and other polishes in the Polish for Pit Bulls series sometime, I promise!  For now, I hope you've enjoyed reading about the new Polish 'M fall collection.  Prices range from $8 to $12, depending on the materials used to create them.  I am more than happy to provide any more input if you are torn between certain polishes.  Or, if you would like to see any comparisons, I will try to do that as well!  I'm not set up for video swatching (yet?), so I hope I've relayed enough information to help you determine if the formula would work for you.

Did you read my review on parts 1 and 2?  If not, here are the direct links:
Part 1: Neutral shades
Part 2: Jewel & Bright Tones

The Polish 'M Fall collection is available at the Polish 'M shop.  While you're there, be sure to check out the other polishes from past collections (some are on sale!) and the cuticle oil. 


XO,
Vanessa

Polish 'M Fall collection - Pt. 2

Fireside Cozy

This portion of the Polish 'M collection makes me think of sitting by the campfire wrapped up in a warm flannel blanket.  I don't know why, but it does!  I've picked 4 polishes for this group and I think they all have that lovely deep jewel-tone to them.  Let's get right to them!

Apple Orchard
A berry base with violet-blue/red/orange chameleon pigment, copper micro flakes and copper galaxy holo.  Would you just look at this?  Wow.. I don't normally go after red polishes, but this one demands attention, and it has so much depth for a pretty smooth polish.  My photo shows 2 easy coats.  It also looks very pretty matted, but in this case, I prefer the full gloss version.  This is a definite favorite for me.

Apple Orchard with glossy top coat

Apple Orchard with matte top coat

Festival of Fall
A teal base with blue/green/gold duochrome shimmer, galaxy holo, magenta holo shreds and multi-iridescent flakes.  Well, what do we have here?  I will start by saying that this polish leans blue on me (which I really like), but some tones may pick this up as more green.  This is gorgeous either way!  Glittering emeralds by moonlight.  2 coats on this one and very little clean up on my part.

Festival of Fall with glossy top coat

Festival of Fall with matte top coat

Pumpkin Frost
A navy base with magic holo flakes, rainbow micro flakes, blue shimmer, silver galaxy holo, light blue holo shreds and fine metallic glitter in teal, magenta, copper and apricot.  What can I say?  It's BLUE, dark, and it sparkles like crazy!  My photo shows 2 coats--easy application.  Seriously debating a back up of this polish.

Pumpkin Frost with glossy top coat

Pumpkin Frost with matte top coat

Starlit Sky
A blurple base with silver shreds, blue micro flakes, and a hint of red metallic micro glitter.  Since my nails are a little on the long side now (a rare occurrence!) I used 3 thin-medium coats for my photo.  I'll have to try this again when I've filed my nails down.  Looks great with matte top coat, too!  If you don't have a matte top coat you love, try the Polish 'M version! 

Starlit Sky with glossy top coat

Starlit Sky with matte top coat

 
My favorite from this bunch is a TIE between Apple Orchard and Pumpkin Frost.  I struggle with finding a nice red polish and I think this one is perfect and will wear it often!  As for Pumpkin Frost. ... well, blue polishes will always catch my eye, so it isn't really fair to other colors!  I found the formula on Pumpkin Frost to be so easy, and I didn't experience any staining.  Actually, now that I think of it, I don't think any of the Polish 'M polishes I own have ever stained my nails, even the really inky ones. 

What do you think?  Will you pick any of these up?  As I said before, if I haven't answered your questions about the polishes, please leave a comment!  Feedback is always welcome, too!

XO,
Vanessa