Polish Pickup December 2022 Maker's Choice Swatches and Reviews

I'm back tonight with the final Polish Pickup for the year. Can you believe it?! From some rumblings around some Facebook groups, it sounds like there will be some changes to PPU next year, and I'll be interested to see how that goes. I'll make sure to post about that when it comes straight from the headquarters since perhaps some of it could be rumors. As I said in my last post, Issa from Starlight Polish is back and she has a new shade for this month's PPU. This month's theme is Maker's Choice which I think is a perfect way to end the year because I'm sure brands have prototypes that they love that just haven't fit with any theme, and they can use it here. The website just opened for wishlisting, but also make sure to join the Polish Pickup Pack Facebook Group as swatches pop up left and right there as well. 

The shop officially opens at 11:00 AM ET Friday, December 2nd and ends on Monday, December 5th at 11:59 PM (but if a polish has a bottle limit and sells out before the end of the pre-order, it's gone, unless you get lucky and the cap gets raised...which is rare) on the PPU website. Shall we get to some swatches? 

Noodles Nail Polish Hanukkah Nights (3 coats)

Inspiration: Hanukkah decor

Price: $11.50

Bottle Limit: None

website | Facebook Fan Group | Instagram

I just want to say how happy I am that there is a Hanukkah polish. I'm all about inclusivity, and not everyone celebrates Christmas, so give us all the variations! Hanukkah Nights gives us awesome glitter shapes, and I'm here for it. It's a pale blue crelly base with white/silver/blue glitters with white stars and blue moons. I went ahead and flipped the bottle for about a half hour before applying it to let the stars and moons sink to the top of the bottle. I used 3 thin coats for my photos while with the third I focused on dabbing the larger glitters on. Use thin coats, otherwise it can get too thick and you may get wrinkling when it dries. I would definitely recommend a glitter smoothing topcoat if you have one to make sure it evens it all out. 

Starlight Polish Verdant Scales (2 coats)

Inspiration: I haven't been in the best place the last few months, so for this month, I decided to create a polish that made me happy.  I felt like making a green, and winter makes me think of dragons, so Verdant Scales was born.  

Price: $16

Bottle Limit: 250 bottles

Website | Instagram | Facebook Group | Facebook Page

As someone who also had some tough months throughout the pandemic, I empathize with Issa. I'm so glad she's back to making new polishes, and I hope this creative outlet helps her even more. Verdant Scales is a green jelly with gold to bronze to green shifting old school UP sibling pigment, a touch of holographic shimmer, and scattered glitter, in both green to gold iridescent and green holographic. I did my best to show the shifting shimmer, but it's even more evident in real life. Don't be alarmed by it being a jelly; this one is still quite pigmented, and I got away with using just 2 coats for my swatches. Despite having a little glitter in there, just a regular coat of topcoat should be enough for a smooth finish. 

There you have it, folks! I'm making sure to set aside some money for PPU this month, because I know all of us will be partaking in all these Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales going on. Have a great one!

 

*These polishes were provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*

Noodles Nail Polish Cherry on Top Summer 2022 Collection Swatches and Reviews + Anniversary Polish

 *press samples*

Hi everyone! I know, I've been a bit too quiet for too long. I wish I could say I've been busy, but it's just been the usual around here. My husband and I did go to a new farmer's market this past weekend which was a blast. It was Tomato Day, and I'm a huge fan of tomatoes. We ended up getting some sweet corn, cheese, cherry tomatoes, cider, and hot breakfast sausage. I know, quite the variety! I wanted to buy some donuts made on site, but the line was crazy long. And the heat index was over 90 degrees at 10 AM. I should have a few more posts up in the next couple weeks, so keep checking back. Tonight I have the brand new 8-piece all glitter topper set from Noodles Nail Polish! These will be released this Thursday, July 14th at 5 PM ET and all polishes will retail for $10 each. Did you know that it's Noodles Nail Polish 9 year anniversary?! Natalie is also releasing a new polish on Thursday commemorating this special occasion. I wonder what she will be doing next year for 10 years. 

As always, this is going to be a picture-heavy post, so lets get settled in for a bit. 

Noodles Nail Polish Winter Collection 2021 Swatches and Reviews

 *press samples*

Hello all! How is it not Friday yet? Days during Covid seem to just drag by. I think part of it is from not having anything to really look forward to (well, I suppose you could say getting the vaccine, but that's likely far out for me). There are a few bright points of course, like getting to swatch these collections for Natalie. I've been honored to continue to be asked to review these Noodles, and having this hobby has really helped me get through some tough times. On a much brighter note, I've got a whopper of a post for you tonight. I think Natalie gets the most inspiration from fall and winter which translates to large collections. The Winter Collection is an 8-piece set that features glitter toppers, shifty shades, and loads of glitter crellies. These will also be releasing this Friday, February 5th at 5 PM EST on the Noodles Nail Polish website. Prices will vary based on the polish, so I will be labeling each polish with that info (all are either $9.50 or $10). This is going to be an extremely pic-heavy post, so we need to get started! 

Noodles Nail Polish Holiday 2020 Swatches and Reviews and Black Friday Info

 *press samples*

Hi folks! I'm such a productive blogger! It's been a hot minute since you've gotten 3 posts in 3 days am I right? American Thanksgiving is coming up later this week, so there's a good chance you won't hear from me for the rest of the week (if you listen closely, you may hear the faint sound of my mouse clicking as I make all my purchases on Black Friday). What do you plan on getting? If you are interested in any Noodles Nail Polishes, there will be a Black Friday sale starting at the same time as the Holiday Collection release. Here's what Natalie had to say about the sale: 

"The sale starts Thursday, November 26th at 9 pm EST and ends Monday 11:59 PM EST. 20% your entire purchase (excludes new holiday collection, mystery grab bags, and mystery christmas duo) no code necessary or minimum. Discount will be automatically applied at checkout so you are still able to use the free shipping code over $75. To view all polishes included in the sale you can click on the tab Black Friday Sale.

Every order of 5 or more polishes will receive a FREE Black Friday mystery polish (pictured above in black and white).

No code necessary for this, it will be added when shipping. It can be any 5 polishes, whether they are discounted or not. Mystery grab bags and mystery Christmas duo count as one bottle since they are prepackaged and 1 listing. So if you order 1 of those sets, you would still need 4 other polishes to earn the Black Friday mystery. If you do not purchase 5 or more polishes but want the mystery, I will list some overpour in the weeks following. One mystery per customer.

I can not combine orders during this sale due to high volume of orders. I apologize for the inconvenience. I will not be able to restock anything that sells out, as shipping orders takes priority during the sale. I will restock what sells out as soon as I can, but nothing will restock during the sale. I am going to try my best to have a lot on hand, but you never know what will be most popular!"

I do not have the Christmas duo or Black Friday polish to share with you, so those will indeed be a surprise for us all. The Holiday Collection features 7 different polishes filled with crellies, toppers, and shifters which will be available this Thursday, November 26th at 9 PM EST and CANNOT be used with the 20% discount. All polishes will retail for $9.50 except for & to All a Good Night which will be $10. This is going to be a picture-heavy post, so shall we go ahead and get a look at these warlocks?

Polish Pickup October 2020 Animation: Swatches and Reviews

 *press samples*

Hi folks! It was indeed a manic Monday today. It was so manic that it feels like it should be Wednesday already. Tonight I've got 5 items from the October Polish Pickup which has a theme of Animation this month. I'm not going to lie, I must not watch many animated shows because I didn't know the inspiration for many of the products this month while going through my wishlist. That doesn't matter much to me; if the polish is pretty, I'm gonna buy it. New to PPU? If so, here's how it works:

Definitely join the Polish Pickup Facebook Group. You don't necessarily need to actively participate in the group, but it will give you a look at the polishes that will be available in the coming month. PPU themes are chosen by the people, often a few months in advance (brands need time to find their inspiration and test their polish). Any indie brand that has been around for at least a year can participate and each has their own specific inspiration picture and polish for that month. All you need to do is go to the Polish Pickup site during the pre-order window (the first Friday-Monday of the month) to make all of your purchases of these exclusive polishes. There's no need to pay for multiple shipping charges; since this is a pre-order, all polishes get sent to Polish Pickup and they send you the polishes you ordered. Yup, it's that simple. Oh, and shipping is a flat-rate of $3 to the US (more for international and they just had to increase the pricing to Canada). Recently they also opened a UK site which you can find here. Since all orders are pre-orders, shipping will take place about 3 weeks after the end of the pre-order.

PPU starts Friday, Oct. 2nd at 11:00 AM ET and ends on Monday, Oct. 5th at 11:59 PM (but if a polish has a cap and sells out before the end of the pre-order, it's gone, unless you get lucky and the cap gets raised...which is rare) on the PPU website. The website is currently open for wishlisting, so go check out this month's offerings STAT. Time for swatches!

Nailed It! Summer 2020 Shades of Summer Collection Swatches and Review: Nightfall

*I bought this*

Hi everyone! It has been a hot minute since I've blogged, right? Don't worry, I have my monthly Polish Pickup post coming up soon, so you won't miss me again. I hope you're staying safe during the pandemic; I've been staying home, wearing a mask, and practicing proper hygiene. Oh, I'm on vacation next week, too! I mean, I'm not going anywhere, so I guess you can call it a staycation. My parents are coming to visit me and it's the first time I've seen them since January. They will have their own areas of our house, and we will be wearing masks and distancing, but it will be so nice to just have them there even if we'll be adding a few extra feet between us. 

Other than that, not much else has been going on with me. I've been working out as much as possible; I've lost about 75 lbs since last May. If I can do it, you can do it. I have strictly worked out from home using Les Mills On Demand. Let me know if you want to hear more about my fitness journey. And yes, it truly is a journey. There is a beginning, but never an end. Tonight I'm featuring a brand that has quickly become a favorite of mine. Tiara is the mastermind behind Nailed It! and she is based out of Hawaii. Tonight I have one shade from their newest collection, the Shades of Summer, which is full of shifty shimmers. 

Nailed It! Nightfall (3 coats)

Nailed It! Nightfall, low light (3 coats)

Did I go a little nuts with all the photos? Yes, but no regrets. Nightfall is an extremely shifty polish. It has a medium cool purple base color that has red/gold/green/blue shifting shimmer with a slight holographic finish. Straight on and in bright light you see the purple and red, and as you start to angle your nails, the gold and green comes out to play. If you have low light, the gold and green are most evident with the blue only coming out in low light and at extreme angles. I hope this makes sense! I could have used 2 coats, but I went ahead and used a third thin coat for good measure. I've never had an issues with the formula on any of their polishes. I absolutely love this polish, and I've received many compliments while wearing it. I'm actually considering a backup bottle. 

This one retails for $12.50 and it's available now on the Nailed It! website. You can find out more about Nailed It! on their site, Facebook Group, Instagram, or YouTube pages. 

Noodles Nail Polish Winter and Valentine's Day 2020 Collection Swatches and Reviews

*press samples*

Hi guys! I know, I've been lacking in posts lately. I've been traveling most weekends with pen shows starting back up for my job, as well as having some unexpected things come up. For example, back in November, my dad had lung surgery where they found that he had lung cancer. They think they removed it all, but they still wanted to do chemo just in case. So basically he's been recovering from surgery as well as having chemo, so I've been trying to visit them as much as possible. Unfortunately they live over 5 hours away. I know I haven't mentioned it here, but thought it was a good time given my absence. Good news is that he only has one more treatment in a few weeks and should have a full recovery! I know he reads my blog, so I'm sure he'd love to see some well wishes for him if you have a minute to comment. :-)

On a much lighter note, tonight I have the Noodles Nail Polish 6-piece Winter Collection as well as a Valentine's Day Duo to share with you tonight. They will all be $9.50 each except for Skis & Slopes and The Alps which will be $10. I will make sure to mention it below as a little reminder. Both sets release tomorrow (Jan. 31st) at 5 PM EST in the Noodles website. I hope you're a fan of crellies and toppers, because I've got a ton of beautiful ones to share with you tonight. This is going to be an extremely pic-heavy post, so we should get going to swatches, otherwise we'll be here all night. 

Polish Pickup March 2019 Album Covers Swatches and Reviews

*press samples*

Hi guys! For some reason I keep thinking today's Wednesday. I guess I'm just really excited for the March Polish Pickup to begin. This month I was given 3 polishes for review, and I figured it'd be easier to go ahead and post all of them in 1 post than to divide them up into multiple days. Let me know if you like it this way better, or if you want me to break the posts up. This month's inspiration is Album Covers which is something I was really excited to see. Everyone loves music, and I was interested to see what albums I should be checking out. PPU start this Friday at 11:00 AM ET and goes through 11:59 PM ET Monday night. Let's go ahead and take a look at this month's offering. 

Leesha's Lacquer Whatever (2 coats)

Inspiration: Whatever by Adore Delano 

Price: $10

Cap: 100 bottles

Up first is a new brand to the blog and that's Leesha's Lacquer. This is Whatever which is a black base with tons of aurora shimmer that shifts between red/orange/green with UCC flakes. Yes, it is this shifty in real life. I know the aurora shimmer is quite expensive, so this one is a really good deal. Even though it's a black base, you can't tell because of the shimmer and flakes. I used 2 thicker coats for this one, but you may need 3 if you use thin ones. The formula was smooth, and it dried with no texture. 

Noodles Nail Polish My Favorite Color is You (2 coats)

Inspiration: The Click by AJR 

Price: $12

Cap: 125 bottles

I really like AJR! I haven't listened to the whole album, but my jam is "Burn the House Down" which I hear on SiriusXM's Alt Nation. Noodles Nail Polish's My Favorite Color is You is a blackened indigo crelly base with violet/gold shimmer, rainbow flakies, copper/aqua/lavender glitters, and violet/green/gold color shifting flakes. In other words, this is full of rainbow glitter and flakies. I used 2 normal coats for my photos, and it applied easily. The glitter gives the polish some texture, so make sure to use a thicker topcoat to smooth it all out. 

Static Lacquer On Letting Go (2 coats)

Inspiration: On Letting Go by Circa Survive

Price: $12

Cap: 100 bottles (10 bottles for UK)

Static Lacquer's shade On Letting Go is a medium dusty blue base with teal shimmer, silver holographic flakes, and green to magenta UCC flakes. The queen of the holographic flakes strikes again! This one also applied flawlessly in just 2 coats and dried with no texture. 

All 3 of these are vastly different, and I love them all. One thing they have in common is flakies, and you know my feelings on those. The site goes live on March 1st and goes through March 4th, so you do have a few days to get your orders in. All of these have caps, so if you're interested in any of them, I wouldn't delay purchasing them just in case. You can learn more about PPU on their Facebook page and website. 

*These polishes were provided by the company or PR representative. All reviews are based solely on my opinion. For more information, please see my full disclosure at the bottom of the site*