Category: nail polish

COLORS! Collection 2020 by Native War Paints

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I have swatches of the latest Native War Paints collection to share with you today. These were sent to me in PR, but I always give my honest opinion regardless of whether I purchase the products myself or if they were sent to me.

The COLORS! collection is making a return after a three year hiatus! All colors were reformulated to be more opaque, and they watermarble! Each swatch is topped with top coat. The amount of coats needed will be mentioned for each polish.

First up, we have Amanda Loves Betsey. This polish is a neon pastel pink with a green shimmer. I needed 3 coats for opacity. This polish is very bright; definitely a great pink for summer!

1990’s Lipstick is a neon pastel coral with blue shimmer. I needed 4 coats for opacity. This polish definitely reminded me of a lipstick I had from AVON when I was in middle school. A great nostalgic color for spring!

Orange Dreamsicle is a neon pastel orange with purple shimmer. This needed 4 coats for opacity, and it is such a chameleon shade. It is very bright, but it also changes depending on your lighting. This was one of my favorite shades to wear on its own.

Drops of Sunshine is a neon pastel yellow with red shimmer. 4 coats needed for opacity, and is most certainly your “highlighter” shade. This will be great for summer as well. Super bright and fun!

Honeydew Smoothies is a neon pastel green with copper shimmer. This polish needed 4 coats as well. Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day and Easter, and very bright for spring and summer. I fell in love with this shade. Such a beautiful green.

Bird’s Nest in the Mailbox is a neon pastel teal with gold shimmer. This shade was reformulated to be more blue leaning teal than its previous version. I needed 3 coats for opacity. By far, this is my favorite polish of the collection. I plan on using this for Easter and spring nail art.

Bouquet of Lilacs is a neon pastel purple with orange shimmer. I needed 3 coats for opacity, and I really enjoyed this polish. Perfect for spring but bright enough to join you for summer. Such a beautiful purple polish!

Native War Paints polishes have always made watermarbling easy, and this collection is no exception. Below are samples of watermarble art I did with these polishes. The base for my nail art is 2 coats of China Glaze “Blanc Out.”

These polishes are available for PREORDER. $8.00 each or $55.00 for the collection from 2/28 through 3/8, and then they will be the normal pricing of $9.00 each or $60.00 for the collection. You can use code GR6MGTZM0Z to save on your order.

Jamberry Nail Polish: Tropic

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I have never used a Jamberry polish before, so I figured I’d give one a try. A friend of mine sells, so I thought I’d help her business out and give an honest review of the polish. 

I prepped my poor nubbins (they’re abused for nail school and an allergy to OPI Thin Set) using OPI Nail Envy and Ridge Filler to try and hide any roughness from my weakened nails. 

One coat of “Tropic” Jamberry nail lacquer. 

So, this is one coat.  Great pigmentation, but the formula is super thin and flooded my cuticles.  There was more clean-up then I had anticipated.  The brush is wide – definitely a great application brush – but with such a thin formula a smaller brush may have helped decrease the flooding of the nail over the base coat. 

Two coats of “Tropic” Jamberry nail lacquer, and HK Girl top coat. 

Two coats covered any thin spots and smoothed out the coverage.  I also found the polish stuck better to itself, so flooding wasn’t an issue on the second coat.  Dries semi-matte, so I was very pleased with the dry time; each coat took 2-3 minutes.  I wasn’t able to wrap my free edges seeing as I don’t have any, so I finished with a top coat.  I used Glisten & Glow HK Girl. 

Jamberry nail lacquers retail for $15 each. For such a hefty price tag, I was expecting a better polish.  Overall, I’d say this polish is a 3/5.  Drying time, pigmentation, and the application brush helped keep my rating higher.  I may change my rating based upon the wear; I’ll edit this post in a week and insert a photo after regular wear. 

Mardi Gras Nails

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I decided to do something festive for Mardi Gras this year!  I’m new at nail art, but I know with practice I’ll only get better. 

  
KBShimmer “Right As Reign,” “I Feel Gourd-geous,” “My Life’s Porpoise”, “Kiss and Spell,” and Essie “Mojito Madness.”

I don’t have many green polishes in my stash, but this was the perfect shade to compliment my purples.  KBShimmer’s “I Feel Gourd-geous” seemed like the right combination of sheer gold to dot over the green, but opaque enough in three coats for an accent nail. 

  
I’m not sure how I feel about this manicure, but I’m happy with my application of the polishes.  Let me know your thoughts, and feel free to share your Mardi Gras manis!