The Digit-al Dozen does Birthdays - April 2018

Hey there!  Holy, I don't remember the last time I did a Sunday night blog post.  But I have good reasons for this post!  First and foremost, it was two very lovely ladies' birthdays this month and they deserve a birthday post.  Katherine of Procrastinails and Uma of Uma's Nail Art celebrated their birthdays in April and picked an inspiration photo for us to use for our manis.  They picked a lovely paisley in my favourite colors - red and black!  Thank you girls!  The second reason is that I got to go to the lake for the first time this weekend so I was away from computers and internet and nail polish so I didn't have access to my blog.  Just books and napping, the best kind of weekend.

26 Great Nail Art Ideas - Creatures With Scales

Hey there!  Today's is gonna be a quick post because I desperately want to get my weekend started, haha!  This week's theme for 26 Great Nail Art Ideas is "Creatures With Scales".  I had grand plans to try to copy a photo of a reptile that I found that was super cool and looked all color-shifty but nothing I did imitated it at all.  So I went with some metallic scale-y stamping to at least get something that looked a bit duochrome-y...even if in reality it was the fact that I used different polishes that mostly achieved the shiftiness.

Whats Up Nails Fleur de Heart Stencils with Girly Bits April 2018 CoTM

Press  Sample

Hey there!  Today I have a mani that I wore last week to share with you using Whats Up Nails Fleur de Heart stencils.  I used the April Colors of the Month from Girly Bits (purchased by me) and I loved them so much that I thought I better get this posted ASAP in case any of you are interested in them.  Girly Bits will have these polishes available until May 1st but I also just saw that Harlow & Co. will be stocking them on Friday (April 27th) so that's an option as well.

Polish Pickup May 2018 - Moonflower Polish I Just Can't Wait

Press  Sample

Hey there!  Today I have my very first Polish Pickup swatch for you!  Moonflower Polish has officially joined the pack with I Just Can't Wait, a neon coral stamping polish inspired by The Lion King.  I only learned about Polish Pickup a couple months ago so, for the uninitiated, it is one of the best ways to try some indies you might not otherwise try.  Each month has a set theme (May's is the best ever...The  90's!) with only a small window for order.  May's polishes will be available to order from the 4th to the 7th.  Some polishes do have a cap (including I Just Can't Wait) so be aware and get those fingers ready.

UberChic Beauty Woodland Chic Stamping Plate Review

Press  Sample

Hey there!  Recently UberChic Beauty came out with their Woodland Chic stamping plate.  Brittany was inspired by the motif they used for her new baby son's nursery decorations.  Having seen photos of the room on Facebook, I can tell you that that is one lucky boy because he's growing up in a really cool room (and has a really cool mom).  The room (and this plate) is all things hip and outdoorsy.  The plate is full of adorable animals, some layered images, trees and mountains.  When I first saw the photo of this plate, I told Brittany it feels like home to me, possibly because, even though we live 2000 km apart, we do share a mountain range so we're practically neighbours!

Cirque Colors Metropolis Spring/Summer 2018 Review

Press  Sample

Hey there!  I'm excited today to be able to share an upcoming collection from Cirque Colors.  Cirque was one of the first indie brands I discovered (I had two posts featuring Cirque Colors polishes within the first month of starting my little blog) so when they asked me if I wanted to review the new Spring/Summer 2018 Metropolis collection, I jumped at the chance.  Each season Cirque Colors releases a set of Metropolis polishes, a collection of cremes inspired by New York City.  This Spring/Summer collection has a fun mix of vibrant colours and more muted pastels, all with incredible formulas.  Since I usually use cremes for my nail art, I'm happy to see an indie releasing cremes on a regular basis and these are all welcome additions to my Cirque family.

Bundle Monster Rose Gold Crystal Nail Wraps Review

Press  Sample

Hey there!  Recently Bundle Monster sent me a package with a few nail art products in it including these Rose Gold Wraps.  I've never used a product like these before.  I suppose it's closest description would be as a nail sticker but the backbone of it is clear and the design is a super metallic rose gold crystal pattern.  The metallic printing is slightly textured which is something I wouldn't be able to create on my own.  A package comes with 20 wraps of various sizes.  These must be cut to size before use since they don't dissolve in acetone like most water decals do.  Then you just stick them on over dry polish and finish with top coat.  There is also a note that you must keep them sealed because air with dry out the strip and affect the adhesive.

Whats Up Nails Stamping Plate Review

Press  Sample

Hey there!  It's the weekend and finally one that isn't from the depths of winter so I'm thrilled!  To start my weekend, I'm writing a blog post with so many manis in it.  I recently received the newest stamping plates from Whats Up Nails and I absolutely fell in love with them so I hope you like them too.  Honestly, Whats Up makes some of my favourite stamping plates these days.  They don't have a ton of images but the ones they have are unique and beautiful AND the plates aren't expensive...so you can buy more, haha!  Here I've used four of them: Nature's Beauty Garden (full of florals and other foliage patterns), Texture Me Nature (with some incredibly cool and unique nature patterns), Sin City Life (with lots of Vegas themed images and even a bit of New York) and Fashion Prints (with images that would make some beautiful textiles).  And it just so happens that the Nail Crazies Unite prompt this week is neon floral so I did my first Nature's Beauty Garden mani with that theme in mind.

Cici & Sisi Fruit and Flower Acrylic Stamping Plates

Press  Sample

Hey there!  Today I have a few of the newer Cici & Sisi acrylic stamping plates to share.  I believe these acrylic plates came out a few years ago as an alternative to the standard stainless steel plates.  Recently they've released 3 circle fruit-themed stamping plates.  Each plate has a different fruit of choice so if you like peaches, kiwis or strawberries (and who doesn't), you might like these plates.  The last two plates are what I really love from Cici & Sisi's plates - layered images!  There's two nature themed plates with florals, leaves, birds and butterflies.  Keep reading to check them out.

Whats Up Nails Black Chrome Powder and Stencil Review

Press  Sample

Hey there!  I recently received the Black Chrome Powder from Whats Up Nails and I clearly thought it was a lot of fun because I ended up using it in a bunch of manis in conjunction with some of their stencils.  This powder is different than some of the other powders because it's less opaque so it doesn't change the color of the base so much as it gives it a chrome/pewter hue to it.  Follow the jump to see all the stencils I used it with and read more about the powder itself.

KBShimmer Launch Party Swatches and Review

Press  Sample

Hey there!  Okay I'm absolutely swooning over the most recent KBShimmer collection that I received from Color4Nails to swatch!  I can't say enough but I'm going to try.  Actually, I'm going to show you about a million photos because that's how many it took to capture just part of the beauty of the Launch Party magnetic multichrome polishes.  I had over 600 photos of this 9 piece collection.  I know I take a lot of photos when I'm swatching but this was the most and yet I still feel like I didn't do it justice.  I love magnetic polishes (they often feel like little galaxies on my nails) PLUS these have multichrome shifts AND there's a holographic topper which really does turn them into little galaxies.  Keep reading to see plenty of pics (to get a better idea of the multichrome nature) and see photos of that holo topper in direct light...over every single one of the others!

Moonflower Polish Sweet Dreams - Fantasmic Flakies Group Custom

Press  Sample

Hey there!  Lately it seems that many Facebook groups are doing group custom polishes which is lucky for us.  These customs are often incredibly gorgeous.  That's the case for the polish I'm posting about today - the Fantasmic Flakies polish of the month, Sweet Dreams from Moonflower Polish.  Moonflower Polish is known for making awesome stamping polishes but this is NOT a stamping polish.  But it does prove that she makes beautiful regular polish as well.  You are going to have to join the Facebook group (which is the only way to get your paws on it) because you're going to want this polish!

26 Great Nail Art Ideas - Things That Are Round

Hey there!  I hope everyone is having a great weekend so far!  Yesterday was the day for 26 Great Nail Art Idea's "Things That Are Round" prompt but I was too late getting my DD post done to blog twice so here we have it today.  Turns out there's so many things that are round but I went with the biggest...planets!  I have a set of planet glasses that my sister bought that inspired me to try out a bit of freehand for these.  Hope you like them!

The Digit-al Dozen does Indie Love - Delush Polish

Press  Sample

Hey there!  Well it's the final day The Digit-al Dozen's Indie Love week and I'm topping off the week with yet another indie that I adore.  Just last week I gave my review of Delush Polish's 5th anniversary collection and I spouted all sorts of admiration for both the brand and the lady behind the brand.  I haven't met her personally but Adrianna has so much love for her brand and her family that I just have to assume she's got a wonderful heart.  I don't know if everybody knows this but Delush, in addition to making great polish, also has some lovely stamping plates so my final post uses both polish AND plates from the same brand.

The Digit-al Dozen does Indie Love - Moonflower Polish and Fab Ur Nails

Hey there!  Today I'm continuing The Digit-al Dozen's Indie Love with two more indie brands that I truly adore.  Moonflower Polish is a relatively new brand (just over a year old) started by Nadia of Mama Hearts Polish.  She took her love of stamping all the way into actually making polish, mainly stamping polish.  Having attempted to make exactly two polish at Indie Expo Canada last year, I can tell you that that's true dedication!  Most of her polishes are meant to stamp but I also love using them as base polish which I did here.  Over that I stamped with a Fab Ur Nails plate, a brand from the Philippines run by another lovely lady, Johanne.  Her plates have always been flawless for me so I really wanted to include them this week as well.

The Digit-al Dozen does Indie Love - ILNP and Creative Shop Stamping

Hey there!  For my mid-week Indie Love mani, I did a mani that I had wanted to do for ages.  I had done it on a practice stick, loved it but didn't get around to doing it for real until this theme came up.  I used ILNP polishes with Creative Shop stamping.  ILNP creates absolutely gorgeous polishes but they're a bit less "indie" than other brands I used for this week.  I believe they are lab created but since they're not in regular stores and I believe they're independently owned and operated, they're indie to me!  For the stamping, I used a Creative Shop plate.  This brand comes from eastern Europe. I have to believe this is also an indie brand since all my communication with the brand has always been with the same person so I think she's the creator (though I've never specifically asked).

The Digit-al Dozen does Indie Love - KBShimmer and Lina Nail Art Supplies

Hey there!  It's the second day of The Digit-al Dozen's Indie Love week and today I'm here with another couple brands that I adore.  KBShimmer has to be the indie brand that I own the most of.  I look forward to her collections more than all others partly because her polishes work so well for nail art.  I love indie brands but I don't see a lot of them putting out many cremes anymore and I'm someone who needs a good set of cremes for my nail art, especially opaque ones like KBShimmer puts out.  But it's not just the cremes I love.  She also comes up with amazing unique finishes like the Holo Glow's that she came out with last year, one of which I'm using today.  For the stamping brand today I used Lina Nail Art Supplies.  Her brand started about a year and a half ago and seemed to be immediately popular, rightfully so.  I've gotten to review a number of her plates (and have purchased more on top of those) and they're always really creative which puts her amongst my favourite stamping brands.

The Digit-al Dozen does Indie Love - Tonic Polish and UberChic Beauty

Hey there!  This week brings us a new Digit-al Dozen theme.  This week we're celebrating all things indie.  I was first introduced to the world of indie nail polish a few years ago, shortly after I realized just how much fun nail polish and nail art can be and I'm still astounded at the things indie makers bring us.  There are so many things that nail polish can be that you would never know if you only bought mainstream polish.  But that's not just true to polish.  Stamping plate makers are also doing it on their own so I'm going to spend my days this week with an indie polish maker and plate maker.  Today I'm starting with Tonic Polish and UberChic Beauty.  I have met the makers of both of these brands; Tonic's at Indie Expo Canada last year and UberChic's on a layover in Denver where she kindly dealt with a very tired and therefore very chatty me.  I have nothing but respect for both brands and the makers.

Nail Crazies Unite - Modern Art

Hey there!  Today's Nail Crazies Unite prompt was Modern Art.  I'm the first to admit that I don't know the first thing about art.  Like seriously, not a thing.  I must've googled "modern art" 100 times to find inspiration for these.  Eventually I did find a picture I liked but my mani turned out quite different.  I ended up with a crazy Jackson Pollock-esque design with a billion layers of stamping.  Wow, this intro is full of hyperbole, isn't it?  There might not be a billion layers but there is A LOT!

Lesly Stamping Plate Review

Press  Sample

Hey there!  I have a big stamping post today with a new-to-me brand.  This is pretty much a summary of most of the stamping manis I've worn over the last while.  About 3 weeks ago I received a package from Russia (I love getting packages from the other side of the world) with a selection of plates from Lesly Plates.  I've seen some lovely designs on Instagram using these plates so I was happy to get to try them myself.  Keep reading for all the details about these stamping plates.

Delush Polish The Signature Trio Review

Press  Sample

Hey there!  In February, Delush Polish celebrated their fifth birthday.  What a huge accomplishment eh?  The indie polish world is a competitive one but Adrianaa has absolutely made her mark on it.  To commemorate the achievement, she released The Signature Trio, a collection of 3 polishes each with a bit of Delush's signature style in them.  Delush has mastered the glitter/jelly polish finish and these three beauties are just that.  While they all have the large circle glitter that I have always loved, mazingly, they're all so different.  I don't know how she does it...