Indie Spotlight: Hit Polish "Pretty in Paisley" and "Tropics" (Swatches and Review)

Hi everyone!

Today I'm hitting the blog with another indie brand, Hit Polish Nail Lacquer!

Hit Polish, formally known and D&R Apothecary, is the creative endeavor of Rachel from South Carolina.
With over 300 different polishes under her belt she continuously releases new, limited edition shades that keeps her customers coming back for more.

Rachel was kind enough to send me two baby bottles of two shades included in next month's line-up, "Pretty in Paisley" and "Tropics".

This is only a couple of the  wide selection of new glittery beauties that are coming soon!

Pretty in Paisley is a gentle mix of silver fine glitter sprinkled with mint, lavender, pastel pink and red hexes all swirled in a clear base.

(One coat shown over CQ "Candy Grape" with one layer of Out The Door top coat)

The glitter is dense without the base being thick. 

The consistency is pretty flawless with no fishing or dabbing needed.

The glitter applies evenly and you aren't left feeling like a certain color got left behind.

Because the glitter is so packed, you can build this up with an extra layer or two and wear it on it's own or use it as a topper as I did here. I personally recommend a base color that is dark enough to not overshadow the light hues of the glitter.

The pastel colors are a match made in heaven, and then adding the red for that extra pop sent this combo over the top.

It's precious, basically.

Tropics is fresh, bright mix of gold fine glitter and metallic rainbows hexes of varying sizes in a clear base.

(One coat over Over Avon Mega Watt "Shock" with one layer of Out The Door top coat.)

The formula is consistent with PiP and just as easy to apply.

This one is also able to reach full coverage on it's own, but because the fine glitter-to-base ratio is lower than PiP, it takes at least three coats if not four.

There is something definitely more tropical feeling to this mix compared to other rainbow glitters. 

I think it's the light metallic blue against the shiny and citrusy yellow, orange, green and hot pink that really sold me.

While it can be paired with just about any base color, I couldn't think of any more fitting than a jelly blue, ocean-like hue for the glitters to swim in.

(Not to mention the glitter remedied the exposed flaws in the base color's formula, but I'll get to that collection later.)

Most indie polish makers release at least one glitter combo, and a lot of them can be pretty similar. 

What sets each brand apart, in my opinion, is the quality and consistency of  the base and Rachel "nails it" every time.

Even though these are glitters you can count on, the amount of Hit Polish lacquers you'll want is something you can't count.

There's just so many shades I feel I must have, but they're always limited edition so I have to grab them while I can!

Want Hit Polish for yourself?

You can find the current line up of Hit Polish nail lacquers at Rachel's Etsy shop.

Currently, all stock is being cleared for the July release, so ALL polishes are 20% off!
Full size 15ml bottles are currently marked down to $6.40 each, and minis ave been reduced to either $2.60 or $3.20 a piece.

Grab what you can, because the new line up (which includes the to I shared today) are expected to be released on July 15th, so grab what you can now!

What do you think of these Hit Polish beauties?

Will you be hitting Etsy to purchase any Hit Polish?

Let me know in the comments below and give these shades some love on Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest!

And for Hit Polish updates, sneak peeks and more, keep up with Rachel on Hit Polish's Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Thanks for reading!

Easter Chick Nail Art + Easter Pastel Pedicure

Happy Easter everyone!

So I had a completely different manicure planned for today, but just as the morning began the Easter Bunny stopped by to let us know that instead of giving us eggs he's delivering a baby!

My boyfriend's sister has gone into labor, so I needed a quick mani/pedi that was both Easter and new baby appropriate.

I couldn't think of anything more fitting than a hatched baby chick!

Colors Used:

Base: Avon Gel Strength Base Coat

Thumb: Julep Susie

Pointer: Zoya Kristen

Index: China Glaze Something Sweet

Ring: Loreal Tweet Me, China Glaze White On White, Sally Hanson Black Heart, Loreal Boozy Bruch

Pinky: Essie Love & Acceptance

Glitter Coat: Wet n Wild Hallucinate

Top Coat: Out The Door

I couldn't forget my toes!

As I'm on my way to the hospital to await the arrival of the newest member of our family,

 I hope everyone has a blessed holiday!

-Melody

Maven Madness: Julep It Girl Box + Add-Ons March 2013

Spring showers may just be around the corner, but it's already raining pastels in the fashion and beauty world. The majority of major nail polish companies have already released their new collections, so Julep made sure to not let their Mavens miss out.

If you are unfamiliar with the Julep Maven Program, you can an in-depth review here. 
To see these beauties of close, keep on scrolling!

The It Girl Box

I had such a difficult time choosing a specific profile this month, but I ended up choosing the one with the extra polish in lieu of the extra beauty item. 

Julep Maven It Girl Box March 2013

The Colors

Julep Teri

Teri is a beautiful coral pink creme. It goes on a bit thick but smooth, perfectly opaque in one coat. It looks like it may be the non-shimmery sister of China Glaze's Mimosa’s Before Mani’s. I actually got both collection at the same time, so If you's like to see comparisons let me know!

Julep Simone

Simone is a lilac creme with what appears to be mint/turquoise colored shimmer. The shimmer makes this color completely unique in my collection and stands out among most other pastels I've seen released so far. The pink undertones really come out in low/artificial light, but in the same light the shimmer completely disappears. Subtle, chic and opaque in two coats.

Julep Shenae

Shenae is a pastel mint creme with such a subtle hint of opalescent shimmer. You will not notice the shimmer unless you are in direct sunlight. Either way, you can go wrong with mint these days. I actually found this color to change depending on what light I was in. Sometimes it was more of bright mint blue, and other times it was a subtle mint green. I'd love to compare this to China Glaze's Keep Calm, Paint On, but I do feel the two are unique from each other.

This would have been a one coater but I added an extra one to try to bring out the shimmer more. The camera however had other plans allowing you to really only see the shimmer in the bottle.

The Add-Ons

Even though I couldn't spring for an upgrade to the collection, I couldn't let some of cremes from the other style profiles pass me by. 

Julep Debra

Debra makes me laugh just for the name. Has anyone seen the movie The Addams Family Values? There's ta scene where Morticia visits Debbie (or the Black Widow murderer), who has seduced Uncle Fester into cutting off all contact with the rest of the Addams Family. Morticia enters and addresses her as Debbie, who in reply screams "DEBRA!" Morticia, keeping her calms brings her expression to a small smile and looking around the room says, "Really...pastels?" Her reaction was unfavorable.

ANYWAY...just as drop-dead gorgeous is Julep's Debra, a soft taupe/grey creme. This is such a flattering color that can be paired with anything all year round, whether it be pastels, neons or dark metallics. Formula was great and is completely opaque in two coats.

Julep Joy

Joy is a dusty mauve creme. My mother wears mauve after maroon after mauve,  so this color in my opinion has a very sophisticated connotation. It's still a fresh fit for younger women while catering to an older women who wants to pass on brighter pastels. I can't imagine a skin tone this isn't flattering on and has one of the best formulas of the bunch. It went on a bit more sheer than the other, calling for three coats to full opacity.

Julep Adrianna



Adrianna is a true pistachio creme, opaque in two coats. Many will have a love/hate relationship with this color. All pictures were taken outside on a cold windy day, and when I got to this color, the longer I was outside the more it brought out how red my hands were getting. If you normally experience "lobster hands" with yellow or green polishes, you may want to pass on this. That being said, I still managed to a get a golden shot of the beauty with freshly moisturized hands and the right light.


The Chapstick

Sometimes I think Julep reads my mind. I'm always scouting for a new chapstick and with all the cold wind lately my lips have taken a bit of a beating, nothing major but enough to bug me.

Julep's Strawberry-Mint Lip Balm is a good nighttime protection choice. It goes on very thick and will rub off when eating or drinking, so it's probably not the best choice as a base for a lipstick or gloss. However, if applied right before bed you will notice a significant difference the next morning in how smooth your lips are.

It's advertised as strawberry mint, but the strawberry scent steals the show. It's an intense sweet smell which I love personally, but may not be everyone's cup of tea. I don't mind not noticing the minty aspect as sometimes you need a balm absent of a lip-drying menthol.

Overall

I really think this was a much needed collection for Julep, and for me. There are some real stand out colors that any nail junkie needs. My favorites Are Teri and Simone.

If you are not yet a Maven you can sign up through my referreral link by clicking here and get your first box for just a PENNY! Just enter code "PENNY" or "JULEPVIP" at checkout. For just one cent what do you have to lose?






Have you jumped on the pastel bandwagon? What are you favorite swatches from this collection?

Comment below or let me know on twitter. You can also find me on facebook now!
My pages is new and lonely so head on over and "like" me. :)