KBShimmer "Men Are From Mars-ala" & Powder Perfect "Horse-lords" - 7 August 2015

I am in love once again - this time with KBShimmer "Men Are From Mars-ala", which I have used for this manicure, with Powder Perfect "Horse-lords" used as my feature nail.

I know KBShimmer "Men Are From Mars-ala" has been around for quite some time now, but I was only able to buy a bottle a couple of months ago because it is from a USA Indie Polish maker, which meant it was much more expensive than Aussie Indie polishes, and I've been dying to try it out.  As I'd been so busy last week, I decided to do a simple manicure this week, and while I was looking through my polish collection, trying to work out which ones to use, my eyes lit up when they saw this polish.  Before I purchased it I'd found lots of blogs that absolutely raved about this polish, and I wondered if it would really live up to its hype - and I can assure you it did.  I then looked through my jelly glitter polishes to find one that would go perfectly with this superb marsala shade, and Powder Perfect "Horse-lords" fit the bill exactly.

I started my manicure as usual with a coat of Pretty Serious "Rock On" Nail Strengthener, which is simply the best strengthener I've found anywhere, and I recommend it to everyone.  My nails are never intentionally without it, but after a really busy, rough week, my last mani had lost bits of polish here and there, and when I removed my polish I discovered I had three breaks that had to be patched.  I also had to file down a couple more nails on my left hand, which is usually my go-to hand for photographing, and that is why I've included a photo of my right hand because the nails are a bit longer. Once the strengthener had completely dried, I added a coat of Grace-full Base Coat, which I've found to be fantastic.  Whenever I use it, the polish stays on my fingers a lot longer than with any other base coat I've used to-date, and because I usually want my manicures to last for at least 4 or 5 days, and sometimes even longer, this is exactly what I want.

Then I added two coats of KBShimmer "Men Are From Mars-ala" to every nail except for my ring fingers, although one good coat would have been more than enough if I hadn't been going to photograph it for this blog.  This is one of the most beautiful polishes I've added to my collection since beginning my nail art journey, and since doing my manicure I haven't been able to stop looking at it- literally!  The colour looks amazing on my skin colour, its changes according to the light are wonderful, and the linear holographic shift, especially in sunlight, is unbelievable until you actually see it in person.  It went on smoothly, with no brush marks, and I think I can say, without a doubt, that this has been the easiest polish to apply that I have found since I started doing my nails last October.  The colour is simply beautiful - from a gorgeous, soft marsala shade under indoor lighting, to a simply amazing holographic, shimmery, bright marsala shade in the sun, and all the shades in between depending on what light I happen to be in.  Put quite simply, every facet of this polish blew me away, I'm now completely in love with the marsala colour itself as well, and will definitely be looking for more similar polishes to add to my collection. The only nail polish store I could find who stocked this polish, and would send it to Australia, was the Canadian online store, Harlow & Co., and you will find a link to their site if you click on both the name of the polish and the name of the company.

Next, I added two coats of Powder Perfect "Horse-lords", a rich, maroon jelly with gold & bronze glitter from this wonderful Australian Indie Polish maker.  This went on really easily, and there is heaps of glitter in the bottle, so I didn't have to go fishing for any, or even dab any extra bits of glitter on to fill in any gaps.  Two coats gave just the right amount of glitter, and I'm looking forward to actually trying this polish over a dark base polish, or even over a lighter polish that doesn't particularly please me.  The colour proved to be the perfect foil for "Men Are From Mars-ala", and the overall effect was just beautiful.

To finish off my manicure I applied one coat of Grace-full Nail Polish "Quick Dry Top Coat", which was more than enough to cover even the rough finish of the Powder Perfect "Horse-lords" glitter jelly polish beautifully, and give a smooth, glossy finish.  I love this top coat since buying it, and think it is easily the best one I have at the moment.

Here are some more photos of the finished manicure under different types of lighting so that you can see why I am so in love with this polish.  Unfortunately I was unable to get my camera to catch the full linear holographic effect that you can just see in the bottle in the photo at the top of this post, and also the photo taken in sunlight below, because it caused the camera to flare it was that bright, but I assure you, it is there, and in spades.

 

 

So, what do you think?  Do you agree that the KBShimmer "Men Are From Mars-ala" polish is as wonderful as I do?  And do you love the beautiful jelly glitter polish Powder Perfect "Horse-lords" as much as I do?  Please let me know if you have any comments, good or bad, or perhaps even some suggestions to help me improve my blogging skills, because I would love hear from you.

Well, that's me for another week.  I hope you will come back often to see what I have to share with you, and I can promise you I have some exciting posts coming in the not-to-distant future.

Have a wonderful week, and may God bless you with an abundance of His mercy and grace.

Hugs

Christine

(Please check out my other blog below, too.)

Words of Life and Hope
http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/

All products used in this post were bought by me, and my opinion is given honestly and freely.

 

My Grace-full Nail Polish Ombre Manicure for 30 June 2015

I received five polishes from the Grace-full Nail Polish "Ice Princess Collection" (inspired by the movie "Frozen") early in the week, and I just had to use some of them for this week's ombre manicure.  They are simply awesome, and I can't wait to buy the others in the collection, very soon I hope.  I used three of the "Ice Princess Collection", and two other recent purchases from Grace-full Nail Polish, as well as the Grace-full Base Coat and Quick-Dry Top Coat. Here is a photo of the polishes I used:

Aren't they just wonderful.  If you haven't tried any of the Grace-full Nail Polish yet, you really should check them out.  I, personally, think Theresa Carter is the No. 1 Aussie Indie Polish maker in the country.  I just can't stop buying her polish, and just when you think she can't come up with anything more beautiful, she up and does it again.

Now, on to the manicure.

Photo taken in sunlight!

I started by painting one coat of Pretty Serious "Rock On" Nail Strengthener on all my nails, and once that had dried, I painted another coat on my two middle fingers and two thumbs, which are both still very thin  fragile.  I then painted one coat of Grace-full Nail Polish Base Coat on all my nails.

Next, I painted three coats of "My Own Personal Snow Flurry" on my thumbs to achieve the full crelly effect that I wanted from this beautiful polish, making sure that each coat was completely dry before adding the next one. "My Own Personal Snow Flurry" is an amazing off-white crelly with black, orange, silver and blue micro-glitter with silver ultra-fine holographic glitter, iridescent glitter and silver holo hexes.  The overall effect is mind-blowing.  I don't think I've seen so many different coloured glitters in one polish before.  It went on smoothly, with good cover in just one coat, but because I wanted the full crelly effect, I decided to do three thin coats.

The second polish I used is "Ice Crazy", on my index fingers, and this is the only one I wasn't overly pleased with.  I think the colour just doesn't go well with my skin colour, but it went on easily, and I only needed two thin coats for full coverage.  It is described as "a grey crelly with a hint of blue throughout, ultra-fine silver holographic glitter, iridescent tiny glitters and little flecks of mauve and blue".  However, I found it very hard to get any glitter and/or holo effect at all, except for a tiny amount in the sun and under artificial light.  I was quite disappointed with this polish, which is a real shame because I was really looking forward to using it; but even saying that, it is a lovely polish - just not my colour.

The third polish I tried is definitely my favourite of the five I used.  I painted three thin coats of "Open Door" on my middle fingers (although two would probably have been enough if I hadn't been featuring it in my blog), and it is absolutely stunning.  It is a linear mauve holo with violet flakies, and the colour shift is amazing, especially in the sun, and even better under artificial light, where I was able to get the full linear holo effect.  This is the polish that made me decide that I have to get the rest of the collection as soon as possible.

The fourth polish I used, on my ring fingers, is "Drowning In Violets", a Special Edition polish which was only available to the Grace-full Nail Polish Fan Group members, and which was named by one of our members.  This polish is amazing, with so much different coloured holographic glitter in it that it was really hard to get decent photos of it because of the flashing effect.  It just blew me away when I put it on.  It was very easy to apply, and this is just two coats, with just a little dabbing to fill in a few gaps in the glitter. The group decided they wanted two versions of this particular polish, which the members decided on by voting on the Facebook page, one with a reddish tinge and one with a bluish tinge, so Theresa then asked us for ideas for the names for the polishes.  One of the names I suggested was chosen for the bluish-tinged one, but this version is the reddish-tinged one, named by another member.  Members get sneak-peaks of new polish collections, can win prizes, see previews of all the Grace-full polishes, and as shown by this polish and the one I named, amazing Special Editions that no one except members of the group can buy.  It really does pay you to be a member of the group, so please check it out and request to join.  You won't regret it!  We have lots of fun sharing our manicures and nail-mail on the Facebook page, too, and everyone is really helpful if you have any problems you need help with.

The last polish I used, on my pinkies, is "Mount Fang", one of the four Grace-full polishes in "The Inklings Collection" collaboration with Powder Perfect, who also had four polishes as part of the collection.  This is an amazing set of polishes, and I would recommend that you check them out.  "Mount Fang" is a deep, charcoal-based, linear holo, with red and gold sparks of colour throughout.  It went on really easily, and I only needed two coats to get full coverage.  The colour shift and glitter in this is really gorgeous, especially under artificial lighting and in the sun.

I finished this weeks manicure with one coat of "Quick-Dry Top Coat" on all my nails, and a second coat on my ring fingers because of all the glitter in the polish.  The second coat was plenty to give it a lovely smooth finish.

Here are some more photos, taken inside under artificial light, in my sunroom under overcast conditions, outside in the shade on a cloudy day, in overcast conditions outside, and in a second one on a different angle in the sun.

    

     

 
The drops of water on my thumb in the sun are sprinkles of rain that fell while I was taking my photos LOL!

 As you can see, the different effects seen under different lighting conditions are amazing (this is a word my husband told me yesterday that I never used until I got hooked on Aussie Indie Nail Polish - now I say it all the time).  I just can't stop looking at this manicure, and I'm going to be very sad when I have to take it off in a few days.  I hope you'll take the time to check out all the wonderful polishes that Theresa has for sale at Grace-full Nail Polish, and that you'll check out the Grace-full Nail Polish Fan Group, too.

Thank you for visiting my blog, and I hope you enjoyed seeing what I had to share with you.  I welcome comments, good or bad, so feel free to leave one if you so wish.  You can also follow my blog by filling in one of the boxes at the top right-hand side of the page if you would like to be notified when I add another post.  My next one will be photos of my bare nails 2 months ago compared to now, and I am amazed at the difference that short time has made to them.

Have a wonderful week, and may God bless you with an abundance of His mercy and grace!

Hugs

Christine

(Please check out my other blog below, too.)

Words of Life and Hope

http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/

I was not paid in any way, shape or form for using any of the items mentioned in this post,
and my honest opinions are given freely and without any bias at all.

Lyme Disease Awareness Giveaway Prize I Won - It's Awesome!!!

   

Finally I've managed to find time to show you the Lyme Disease Awareness Giveaway Prize I won a couple of weeks ago, and received last week.  It's so awesome, and I was blown away from the moment I opened the box!  Once you read what was included in the prize you'll realise why it has taken so long for me to get around to writing this post.

 

Alinta, the owner of the Polish and Paws blog website, ran this giveaway as a way of raising awareness of the fact that the Australian Government still does not recognise the fact that Lyme Disease exists in Australia, despite numerous TV documentaries and current affair segments on the subject; despite the fact that most doctors know it exists and are treating thousands of patients here; and these patients are literally living a hellish existence, simply because they can't afford the treatment they need and the government won't provide it.  Please check out the link to Alinta's blog post on the subject here, and please start helping us to raise awareness of this horrible disease and make the government sit up and take notice.  This is a major medical emergency in this country and needs to be fixed NOW!

To start with, here are pictures of the box when it arrived in the mail, and after I had just opened it.

   

Now to the details of what was in the box, and close-up photos.

Firstly, I discovered the Grace-full Nail Polish Limited Edition "Lyme for a Cure" polish, made specifically for this Giveaway's prize winners and, unfortunately, no one else, and another polish from Grace-full "Navy",  which is also unfortunately no longer available on the site.  "Lyme for a Cure" is absolutely wonderful, and unfortunately my photos don't do it justice, but when I actually use it in a manicure very soon I'll try and do better.  "Navy" is also gorgeous, and has so much glitter in it that it sparkles like sapphires.  Please check out the Grace-full Nail Polish site to find out what other amazing nail polishes Theresa, the owner and maker of Grace-full Nail Polish, dreams up and puts together for all her many, many fans.  I, for one, am completely addicted to her polish, as you will have discovered if you have read any of my previous posts when I've featured some of them.

   

Secondly, there were two Emily de Molly polishes; "You're not that great", a lime creme with holographic, lime and turquoise glitter with a blue shimmer, and "Queen of the sea", a green creme with gold to green shimmer; and three Emily de Molly Stamping Plates.  The two polishes are just beautiful, and the holographic glitter in "You're not that great" is just amazing.  This is another polish brand I am addicted to, and there are some absolutely amazing polishes coming out very soon, as well as the ones that are already available. I can see that I'm going to be kept very poor in the near future :) The designs on the stamping plates are fantastic, and there is a lot of variety.  The plate numbers are EDM06, EDM10 and EDM12.  Thank you so much, Theresa, for donating these gorgeous polishes for such an important cause, and especially for the limited edition polish.

   

Next, there were three Powder Perfect polishes; "Christmas in a Tropical Climate" (no longer available); "Four Poster Bed" (no longer available); and "Addictive Personality" (on special, so may disappear soon), which has a soft pink base with a crelly formula, and glimmers of navy, turquoise, pink and coral glitters will shine through as you layer the polish. My photo just doesn't do any of these justice because I had to take them under artificial light.  The weather here in Kingston, Tasmania has been so overcast, and wet, that it's been almost impossible to get decent photos for weeks now.  I'll try and do better when I use them in a manicure.  Thank you so much, Jacinta, for donating these lovely products for such a wonderful cause.

But wait!  There's more!  Next there are three polishes from EP Polish Company; "Lahni", "Waveryley" and "SPF+Sparkle HOLO Top Coat".  The blue and green are a lot brighter than the pictures show, and are actually neon colours, and the holographic effect of the top coat is just gorgeous. Unfortunately the store appears to be closed at the moment, but I think it is only while they get some more polish made.  If you click on the company name it will take you to their Facebook page, and you will be able to find out just what is available and when there.  Thanks so much to EP for donating these three lovely polishes to this cause.

 

But wait!  There was still more!  The next items I found in the box were three of the new Ulta3 Autumn/Winter Metallic Collection; "galaxy", " 24 carat gold" and "moon dust".  I have completely fallen in love with this set of five awesome polishes, and have actually bought a second bottle of each of the five polishes in the set, and now I have three bottles of these three.  YAY!!!!!  I used the copper one, "from the mine" in my last mani (see previous post), and it is just amazing.  If you have a pharmacy that sells these polishes, check them out - you'll want to buy them when you see them in person, I'm sure!

 

But there was even more!  The next thing I found in the box was a bottle of Peita's Polish "Cuticles be gone", which is pretty much self-explanatory. Peita's Polish has a very good reputation in the world of Indie polish, so please check them out.

 

But wait once again!  There was even more!   The next things I found in the box were some green cancer awareness ribbon vinyl stickers from She Sells Sea Shells in the UK.  Her range of nail vinyl stickers and stencils, and other nail art items, is terrific, so please check out this site.  You can buy these Awareness Ribbons in nine different colours, and there are 40 in a pack.  Then I found a set of four very fine nail art brushes, for find detailed work, and some gorgeous silver and gold decals in twelve different designs (see close-up below).  These are going to be great to use in my nail art in the future.

   

Then I found even more - three gorgeous sets of nail art transfer decals from Nailed Kit - Nail Art Made Easy in the USA, shown below.  These look terrific, and I'm going to trying to decide what I can try them out on as soon as possible.

And last, but definitely not least, there were four miscellaneous manicure and nail care items - a tube of Cuticle Balm from Powder Perfect in "Birthday Cake" fragrance (which smells scrumptious, and not too overpowering); a Two Birds Cuticle Oil Pen Dispenser with a lovely, light, lavender fragrance; a nail polish removal pen, and a hang-nail remover tool.  Please check out the Two Birds site, because they have some wonderful polish and nail-care products.

 

So, that's my amazing prize!  You can imagine how surprised I was to find out I had won this, and I was still pinching myself to make sure it wasn't a dream until it actually arrived in my hands.  

Thank you so much, Alinta, for running this Giveaway promotion, and I hope you are feeling OK.  I will be continuing to promote awareness for Lyme Disease as much as possible on Facebook, Twitter, etc, and hopefully the government will wake up to themselves and admit we have a very big problem, which they have to deal with NOW!

I'll be back in a few days with my next manicure, and until then, thanks for visiting, and I hope you'll come back often to see what I have to share with you.  You can follow my blog by filling out the boxes at the top right-hand side of my blog if you so wish, and I'd really appreciate any comments you may wish to make.  All suggestions will be accepted with much gratitude as I try to make my blog interesting enough for people to visit.  I'd also appreciate it if you would share a link to my blog with your friends and colleagues so that more people with cancer, going through chemotherapy, can be encouraged to look after their nails before they start their treatment, and hopefully will avoid having the same damage occur to their nails that happened to mine.  After all, that is what I started my blog for, and if it helps even just one person I'll be happy.

Have a wonderful day, and may God bless you!

Hugs

Christine

(Please check out my other blog below, too.)

Words of Life and Hope

http://wordsoflifeandhope.blogspot.com.au/