Polish Pickup May 2019: The 1980s with Noodles Nail Polish, Soothing Soul Nail Lacquer, and Static Lacquer

*press samples*

Hi guys! Tonight I've got 3 more polishes for this weekend's Polish Pickup (PPU). This month's theme is the 80's and I'm living for it! It all begins at 11:00 AM ET on the PPU website and runs through 11:59 PM ET. A couple of these items have caps, so you may want to make an early purchase and go back and pick up any you were on the fence about since they combine shipping and will refund any subsequent orders (if you're in the US, shipping is a flat $3). This is another picture-heavy post, so let's catch a glimpse of these warlocks. 

Literary Lacquers A Court of Feels and Sparkle Collection Swatches and Reviews

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Hi guys! It definitely feels like a Monday. My co-workers have to travel to Chicago for a pen show this weekend, but this is my one show off a year, so I get to stay home and relax with the animals. While I enjoy the shows, they are exhausting and a lot of work. It's been so (too?) long since we've heard from Amy at Literary Lacquers, so I'm happy to report that she's back with a brand new 7-piece collection filled with metallics, glitters, and flakies! This collection is available now for purchase, and every order over $50 (before shipping) from now until May 1st will include a special edition bottle of polish with purchase which I also have to show you. The prices for the new set of polishes range from $10-$12, depending on the shade, or you can purchase the whole collection for a discounted price of $70. I know this doesn't give you much time to purchase to get this special offer, but swatching takes time. Oh, and all older Literary Lacquers collections are 25% off through the 1st as well. 

The Court of Feels and Sparkle Collection is inspired by the Sarah J. Maas series A Court of Thorns and Roses. This collection will take you on a journey through the 7 courts of the High Fae of Prythian. Amy promises these will be spoiler-free for those interested in reading the series. I've never read any of these books, but the polishes have definitely piqued my interest. It appears to have 4 books in the series and is a mix of the romance and fantasy genres. I know that was a lot of info thrown at you, so how about we get to some photos? I have 8 polishes to share tonight, so this will be a picture-heavy post. 

Polish Pickup May 2019 Lucky 13 Lacquer Swatches and Reviews: Take a Look, It's in a Book and Lotion of Immortality Trio

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Hi guys! I have a bunch of PPU items to share this month, so I may combine the next few polishes into 1 post, but I thought that the 2 Lucky 13 Lacquer items I have may get a little wordy and picture-heavy, so it gets its own post. This month's inspiration is the 80's, and I couldn't be more excited! I was an 80's baby (born in '82), so give me all of the iconic toys, music, games, and movies from that era and I will be happy. Lucky 13 was inspired by something near and dear to my heart, Reading Rainbow. I feverishly read any book I could find when I was a kid, and I loved LeVar Burton. I received a little maker's note about the inspiration for this month, and wanted to share it here:

" I grew up watching Reading Rainbow, LeVar's soothing voice helped my love of books grow throughout my childhood."

I feel like LeVar inspired many of us to pick up a book and use our imaginations. Just a few years ago there was a Kickstarter to bring back Reading Rainbow, and my husband and I backed it. I believe it was also the highest amount raised for any Kickstarter at the time. Polish Pickup will open up at 11:00 ET AM on May 3rd and will run through 11:59 PM ET on May 6th. 

May Indie Pickup: Lucky 13 Lotion of Immorality Trio + Glitter 

Lucky 13 Lotion of Immortality Trio + Butterfly Glitter ($11)

Cap: 35 trios

Inspiration: Reading Rainbow

Lotion of Immortality is a thick moisturizing lotion that is perfect for the cuticles, hands, or the body. It is made with shea butter, aloe, and love. It is very emollient, but does not leave you greasy at all. Each jar is 20 g which is plenty for the cuticles and hands. If you put it all over your body, it obviously won't last as long, but a little goes a long ways. Instead of the usual shimmer included in each trio, a small container of gold holo butterfly glitter was this month's addition.  You can use it in your favorite nail polish, or hand-place it on your skin or mani. If you use it on your mani, it is recommended that you use at least 2 coats of top coat to smooth it out. 

Scents:

Take a Look, It's in a Book: described as an endless room of books on dusty shelves, and all the time in the world to read them. It has the barest notes of sandalwood, vanilla, and tobacco. This one is extremely complex, and is definitely a warm, rich scent. 

Butterfly in the Sky: I can go twice as high! Fresh air & floral. It includes notes of hibiscus, rose, juicy plums, and fresh mountain air. The rose is what I noticed first, but not in a bad way. Some "clean" scents can give me headaches, and this one didn't do that. It's a clean, spring-like scent. 

Secretly a Starfleet Officer: Patchouli, lavender, chamomile, and apricots. It includes notes of musk, leather, and a gentle powdery freshness. I know that patchouli is a polarizing scent, and while you can tell it's in there, the lavender and fruit really evens it out. I had my husband smell this one, and he immediately put it on his hands. This is the most "masculine" of the scents, but definitely remains a unisex scent.

Lucky 13 Lacquer Take a Look, It's in a Book (3 coats, warm transitioning to medium)

Price: $14

Cap: 120 bottles

Inspiration: Reading Rainbow

Lucky 13 Lacquer Take a Look, It's in a Book (3 coats, cold)

(medium to cold transition)

Take a Look, It's in a Book is a tri-thermal that shifts from pale lavender (warmest) to periwinkle (medium) to bright plum (cold) with red/copper/gold/green unicorn shimmer, and teal/blue/purple color-shifting flakes. While I love it in the warm state, the real star is in the cold state when the flakes and shimmer really pop against the dark background. Truth be told, I didn't know this was a thermal when I started applying it, so I ended up using 3 coats because it was slowly transitioning to the warm state and I thought it was sheer. Oops. That said, you could likely get away with just 2 coats, but I used 3 from my confusion. It applied perfectly; just make sure that no rogue flakes stick past the free edge. It dried with very minimal texture, but I still recommend a good topcoat to protect the nails. Oh, I also used the Lucky 13 Lacquer Elemental Ward top coat for my photos which retails for just $5 and comes in a variety of scents (not available through PPU). 

There you have it, everyone! This was my first time trying the Lotion of Immortality, and I was extremely impressed with the longevity and the level of moisturization it provided. The polish for the month was extremely unique, and chock full of fancy ingredients (tri-thermal, unicorn shimmer, flakie, oh my!). You can find out more about Lucky 13 Lacquer on their website, Facebook Group, or Instagram pages, while you can find 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*

California Lovin' Indies Duo April 2019 featuring Static Lacquer and Moonshine Mani

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Hi guys! I'm really loving these short work weeks, so I'm going to be very disappointed next week. Tonight I've got the next installment of the California Lovin' Indies Collaboration box where Stacy from Static Lacquer works with other indie brands in the great state of California. I've noticed how many brands come from California, so I think this is a wonderful way for brands to join forces. This month features Phoebe from Moonshine Mani and her popular YouTube channel. The duo goes on pre-order Friday, April 19th at 8 AM PST through Monday, April 22nd at 11:59 PM PST in the Static Lacquer website. The duo will retail for $22 + shipping and will also include a holo vinyl sticker and a 4-piece set of magnets (shown below). 

Stacy and Phoebe took inspiration from the blooming poppy field reserve in Antelope Valley. They discovered in their talking of inspiration that they actually lived in the same place just at different times in California. It's such a small world, isn't it? 

Source

The California state flower is the poppy, and I've been lucky enough to visit the state many times to enjoy these beauties. I grew up used to the red poppies, and was pleasantly surprised at the orange variety in California. Did you know that there are over 120 different varieties of poppies? Antelope Valley Reserve contains over 1700-acres of land and is part of the Mojave Desert. Has anyone been there? 

MAGNETS!

Each duo purchased will come with 4 mini magnet cabochons painted with the 2 polishes (2 of each kind). They are smaller than a penny, and perfect for your Helmer or refrigerator. 

 Moonshine Mani Antelope Valley Gold (3 coats)

Up first from Moonshine Mani is Antelope Valley Gold which is an orange jelly base with gold shimmer and orange/yellow/green iridescent flakies and red/bronze/copper ucc flakies. It fully covered in 3 thin coats since it's a jelly, and it had a perfect formula. If you use thicker coats, you may be able to get away with 2 coats. It dried to a semi-glossy finish with no discernible texture. I love orange, so I knew this duo was going to be right up my alley. 

Static Lacquer Poppy Fields (2 coats)

I love a good white crelly polish, and Stacy gave us a beauty. Poppy Fields is a white crelly base with different sizes of orange and green hexagonal holo glitter. I'm used to polishes like this needing 3 coats, but this one was very opaque and needed just 2 of them. It dried with a satin finish with minimal texture despite the abundance of glitter. 

Don't forget, this set goes on pre-order Friday, April 19th at 8 AM PST through Monday, April 22nd at 11:59 PM PST in the Static Lacquer website. I really appreciate that Phoebe and Stacy took 2 very different finishes to make this duo, and the mini magnets really adds a personal touch. You can check out Static Lacquer on their website, Facebook, Group, and Instagram pages while you can learn more about Moonshine Mani on their website, Facebook Group, and Instagram pages. 

*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 Spring 2019 Collection Swatches and Reviews

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Hi guys! I know it's been a little quiet here, but I've got a few more collections up my sleeve. It's finally spring here in NC, and I'm loving every minute of it. I've been busy at work, and was in Atlanta last weekend for their pen show. I had a good time, but it's always tiring with all that travel. Tonight I have the long-awaited spring collection from Noodles Nail Polish to share with you. Natalie has said that spring is her least favorite season to make polishes for, and you'd never know it from looking at this collection. This is a 6-piece collection featuring glitter crelly pastels, flakies, and contrasting glitter combinations. These will be available this Friday, April 19th at 6 PM ET on the Noodles site. All but Flower Child ($10) will retail for $9.50 each.