Year In Review 2015

Press Samples 

Purchased by Me

As another year comes to a close, we humans have a habit of reflecting back on the year just gone. I'm not sure why exactly, but it happens. Tomorrow is just another day...like yesterday or Wednesday 3 weeks ago. Nevertheless, this is the day it usually happens.

So I thought I'd go through my year, both as Sheila and as Pointless Cafe.

The biggest "life event" for me this year was moving 1300 miles across the country. Going "home."

BOW Polish by Dance Legend: Thermo Top Coat

*Nothing to Disclose

BOW Polish Thermo Top Coat

Tonight I have a really quick and dirty review of the BOW Polish by Dance Legend Thermo Top Coat. And when I say dirty, I mean that I swatched it over my really old, worn mani I've been wearing for a week.

So I heard about this thermal top coat that you could put over any polish to make it thermal! Like a black to clear. I was excited and ordered it directly from Dance Legend in Russia immediately. It takes about 3 weeks but I've never had any trouble ordering from there at all and I've done it several times.

I'm wearing Chanel Lotus Rouge. I have tip wear and I haven't even re-top coated to freshen it up so for that I apologize. I put one coat over my accent nail and this is what happened...

Black is the cold version.

And when my hands warmed up...

So it's not exactly a clear to black thermal as you can see. It does alter the polish color and it's full of holographic particles.

I was disappointed at first since I really thought it was clear with "fairy dust like" holo. But I really did like the color it turned Lotus Rouge and the thermal works really well. My nail changes all the time going from inside to outside.

As long as you know it will be a muted version of the color you layer it over, I think you'll be very happy with it! If you expect it to be a clear holo top coat when warm, you will be a bit disappointed.

I paid $10 plus shipping. I ordered several things and total shipping was $10.

Link: Dance Legend Thermo Top Coat

***

If you enjoyed this post, please take a second to "like" it! Thanks!

KBShimmer: The Birthstone Collection - Swatches and Review

Press Sample 

*These products are Cruelty Free 

Hi everyone! I'm back with a 12 polish collection to show you from KBShimmer called the Birthstone Collection. 12 shades in the colors of your favorite gemstones. I'll tell you in advance that I might have cussed these out a few times while swatching. Or maybe it was the overcast sky I was cussing? I wanted to show you how sparkly and shimmery and blingy these were and without the sun it's harder for me. But here we are anyway.

KBShimmer

The Birthstone Collection

A Box Indied: New Year, New You - January 2016 - Swatches and Review

Press Sample 

*These products are Cruelty Free 

A Box Indied: New Year, New You

January 2016

Hi everyone! I'm back with my swatches and review of the upcoming January 2016 A Box Indied!

Every month, on the 1st and 2nd, there will be an open pre-order. Once the pre-order is closed, everyone works to get all orders shipped out over the following week to 2 weeks. So by the 15th of each month all orders will have been dispatched to their new homes.

In addition, each participating maker in the box will hide a $25 gift certificate in a random bottle of polish! So there will be a total of 5 GCs hidden in random boxes!
Swatches for the next box will be available *on or before the 23rd of the month prior.
*Sorry the holidays delayed this month a bit

Swatches, review and details after the jump...

Top 15 of 2015: My Personal Favorites

Press Samples  

Purchased by Me

Top 15 of 2015

My Personal Favorites

It's that time of year! A look back at my top 15 favorite polishes of 2015. It was SO hard to narrow it down but I was determined. I mean really I could keep going until I got to 100. But since this is the year I moved 1300 miles away and basically quit blogging for a while to make that happen, I figured if there was ANY year I could narrow ruthlessly, it was this one.

While I loved so many, I decided to show you the ones I wear over and over. That's not easy, since I'm swatching and wear-testing so much, I rarely get the chance to wear things more than once. I will tell you that if A-England Sleeping Palace qualified for 2015, it would still be on the list as it is the one I wear a lot. Still. Forever.

Because I've been so busy with life and changes, I don't even remember if I had time to BUY mainstream brands, so these are all "indies."

Essie Starry Starry Night - New Version Vs Original: Comparison Request!

*** 

Comparison Request

Essie Starry Starry Night: Original vs New Version

So...how close IS the New Essie Starry Starry Night to the Original? Catch me after the jump...

The Digit-al Dozen Traditions: Doctor Who Christmas Special

*** 

The tradition to out-tradition ALL traditions for me is the Doctor Who Christmas Special. This year I'm particularly excited because RIVER SONG with Peter Capaldi!

This is quite possibly the worst TARDIS I've done so far, but hey, you can tell what it is so there ya go!

For this mani I used the new Crowstoes for the January A Box Indied (not available until January - sent for review) called Revise Your Demise as my base - the rest is acrylic paints.

Get it? wHO wHO wHO? hehe

Are you a Whovian? Excited to see Alex Kingston and Peter Capaldi together? I'm practically doing a drunk monkey dance over here.

If I could've drawn his eyebrows or her hair, I totally would have.


Be sure to check out all the other great Traditions manis in the links below!

An InLinkz Link-up

If you enjoyed this post, please take a second to "like" it! Thanks!

.

Salon Perfect Limited Edition Holiday GIVEAWAY! ENDED

Press Sample 

Giveaway ENDED - Winners have been displayed in the widget below and emailed! THANK YOU!

***

How about a HUGE Giveaway???

I have FOURTEEN 6-pc Limited Edition Salon Perfect Holiday Polishes to 14 winners! And 4 of these are ONLY available to be won - not sold in stores!

Because time is short and Salon Perfect wants to get these to 14 lucky winners hopefully in time for Christmas, this giveaway will end on Saturday the 19th at 11:59 PM.

The Digit-al Dozen Does Traditions: Christmas Wreath

***

Back again! It's still hard for me to try to think of Traditions because we didn't really "do" holidays. But every year since I've been grown, whether or not I put up a tree, I always put out a wreath.

For this mani, I used a base of Salon Perfect Sugar Cube (purchased by me)  - the rest is all acrylic paints.

Be sure to check all of the other great Traditions manis in the links below!

An InLinkz Link-up

If you enjoyed this post, please take a second to "like" it! Thanks!

.

My Indie Polish: New Year's Eve Trio: Swatches and Review

Press Sample 

*These products are Cruelty Free 

My Indie Polish

New Year's Eve Trio

Digit-al Dozen Does Traditions: Jingle Bells

*** 

Hello everyone! I'm jumping in mid-week to this week's Digital Dozen - Traditions. Thankfully I didn't have the traditional flu, but I did have a migraine which delayed my participation.

It also interrupted my "creative juices" and diminished my ability to do decent nail art, but I've always said you get the nail art fails along with the successes, so...

For this mani, I did an "Extend-a-Mani" because I just didn't have it in me to start from scratch. I was going on day 3 of Chanel Vamp, so I used Pure Ice Silver Mercedes for the bells and acrylic paints for the ribbons. (All purchased by me.)

It's not exactly a "fail" but all I see when I look at it cropped closely are the mistakes and polish wear LOL! We're always hardest on ourselves I think.

Growing up, the only "traditions" I had were watching old Christmas movies like It's a Wonderful Life, Christmas in Connecticut and Remember the Night (both with Barbara Stanwyck, the best actress EVER), Holiday Inn and Young at Heart - possibly not considered a "classic" Christmas movie, but it was on every year and was set during Christmas - Doris Day and Frank Sinatra. We were pretty poor and I didn't have a family really "into" holidays. So I'd sit and dream about what sort of Christmases I'd have when I grew up. Best laid plans...HA!

Please be sure to check out the other great Digital Dozen creations of their special traditions in the links below.

***

An InLinkz Link-up

If you enjoyed this post, please take a second to "like" it! Thanks!

.

Paint Box Polish NYE Duo/Set - Swatches and Review

Press Sample 

*These products are Cruelty Free 

Happy Monday! Yes, that's me wishing today will be happy, not a definitive statement that it IS happy. However, if you want your NYE to be happy, I do have some bling to show you that will help!

Paint Box Polish New Year's Eve Duo/Set

Poppin' Bottles and Strawberries & Champagne Mani Fizz

KBShimmer Birthstone Collection 2016 - PRESS RELEASE

Press Release

KBShimmer Press Release

Hello All!  We are super excited to announce the KBShimmer Birthstone 2016 Collection!

This collection, inspired by each month's traditional, modern or alternative birthstone, is in a new finish for us. It's a metallic type finish with holo sparkle and micro-small metallic flakes.  If Foiled and Yule Worthy had a baby, and added sparkle, this collection would be it! Each polish has a “glow” to it and is streak free. 

Official release date 01/01/2016 at KBShimmer.

----------------------------------------

KBShimmer was founded in 2008 by the husband and wife team of Jason and Christy Rose. KBShimmer offers unique and colorful nail glitter nail polishes that are Big 3 Free, with all glitter formulas being completely free of chemicals such as toluene, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and dibutyl phthalate (DBP). KBShimmer glitter polishes feature a flat glitter- grabbing brush for easy application. KBShimmer also offers a 2-free quick dry polish topcoat, olive oil lotion, sugar scrubs, lip balms, cold process soaps, and other skin care products. 

If you would like more information about KBShimmer, contact Christy Rose by emailing sales@kbshimmer.com or by visiting http://www.KBShimmer.com.

***

If you enjoyed this post, please take a second to "like" it! Thanks!

Darling Diva Ho-Ho-Holiday Collection 2015 - Swatches and Review

Press Sample 

*These products are Cruelty Free 

Ho Ho Ho!

Tonight I have the new Darling Diva Ho-Ho-Holiday Collection for Winter 2015 for you! I have to admit, I've not been in much of a holiday mindset lately. Not my favorite time of the year really. But I do love being home where I belong and I have a feeling when it finally feels like Winter I will be blaring Christmas music and rocking Christmas manis like nobody's business! Wearing these really helped.

There are 8 new polishes in the collection, two of which are toppers.

Meet me after the jump for swatches and reviews...

Darling Diva Polish

Ho-Ho-Holiday Collection

Literary Lacquers 2015 Community Collection: Swatches and Review

Press Sample 

*These products are Cruelty Free 

It's time! Time for the 3rd annual Community Collection from Literary Lacquers! Amy of Literary Lacquers works with members of the community to curate an awesome collection each year that releases around the holidays.

Literary Lacquers

The 2015 Community Collection