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Hi friends! Today’s blog post is for the final Polish Pickup of 2022. The theme for December is Maker’s Choice. I am still in shock that we are at the end of 2022. Like, where did this freaking year go??

The December PPU goes on sale Friday, December 2nd and as always, links and sale details can be found at the end of the post.

Polish Pickup aka PPU is a monthly collaboration of indie polish and other handmade product makers based on a chosen theme. There’s a new theme with new products each month from dozens of makers. Items are available the first Friday – Monday of each month for pre-order.

Live Swatch Video

Polish Pickup aka PPU is a monthly collaboration of indie polish and other handmade product makers based on a chosen theme. There’s a new theme with new products each month from dozens of makers. Items are available the first Friday – Monday of each month for pre-order.

All Mixed Up Lacquers – Life Got Me Lookin’ Like Cynthia

Inspiration: Cynthia Pickles from the Rugrats
Description: A pink berry base with green/pink/purple shifting shimmer, 3 different intense colorshifting flakes, and reflective glitters
Price: $13 for 15ml| Cap: 150

Life Got Me Lookin’ Like Cynthia had a good but thicker formula. The base is very much a jelly so it going to stay fairly sheer. The shimmer and flakies add to the opacity but you will have some VNL with this even in 3 coats.

As someone who loves berry pinks, I thought this polish was absolutely gorgeous. The shimmer and flakie combo in particular I really enjoyed. This polish also has the larger flakies which add to the gorgeousness.

The reflective glitters unsurprisingly give off some significant texture so you will want to double up on your top coat. Between the glitters and shimmer, this polish is incredibly sparkly. The shimmer has the described color shifts.

My photos show Life Got Me Looking Like Cynthia in 3 coats plus 2 coats of top coat. Removal of course will be on the more difficult side if you try to scrub this polish off.

All Mixed Up Lacquers
15ml, 5 Free, Cruelty-Free
Website | Instagram | Facebook | Facebook Group

Bee’s Knees Lacquer – The Erkling

Inspiration: Gilded by Marissa Meyer with the Erlking, a companion polish to November’s Perchta
Description: a deep violet with extra sparkly red to green shimmer *may stain
Price: $13 for 15ml | No Cap

The Erkling had a fantastic formula. It starts off a little sheer but builds up nicely. I did still have some VNL with it in 3 coats which I do think will be the same for those of you with natural nails.

The shimmer was super strong and glowy. It has similar colors to OG UP but much stronger. The brand does warn that this polish is a potential stainer and I did experience staining with this polish.

No matter how many times I see a purple base with a strong shimmer, I never seem to get bored. I thought this polish was really beautiful and totally worth the staining.

My photos show The Erkling in 3 coats plus glossy top coat.

Bee’s Knees Lacquer
15ml, 5+ Free, Vegan & Cruelty-Free
Website | Instagram | Facebook | Facebook Group

Cameo Colours Lacquers – Icy Grey Skies

Inspiration: The sky in winter when it’s going to snow (or ice)
Description: A blue-grey crelly base with a touch of holo sparkle and gold shimmer, full of gold metallic flakes and silver holo micro flakes
Ties into the Perfect Winter Day trio, the other two colours releasing in my shop.
Price: $11.50 for 15ml | Cap: 105 bottles

Icy Grey Skies also had a fantastic formula. I was really surprised at how opaque this polish was. I only needed 2 coats to reach full opacity.

The base color was exactly as described. I love a blue/grey and the gold elements were a really nice touch. They give the polish a fancy almost regal look on the nail.

My photos show Icy Grey Skies in 2 coats plus glossy top coat. Nothing in here will dry textured or be difficult to remove.

Cameo Colours Lacquers
15ml, 5 free, Vegan & Cruelty-Free
Website | Instagram | Facebook | Facebook Group

Clionadh Cosmetics – Vaporware

Inspiration: a fusion between psychedelic aesthetic and the effect of oil on water
Description: A magenta-orange-gold-lime shifting magnetic multichrome polish, with green-violet-red shifting shimmer and fine, scattered holographic glitter.
Price: $13 for 11.5ml | Cap: None

Vaporware had a fantastic formula. This was my first time trying this brand’s magnetic formula. It magnetized very easily and the magnetic pigment was really strong. I used the KBShimmer Zig Zag magnet for these swatches.

The multichrome in here was very color shifty. You get a double whammy of color shiftiness from the magnetic multichrome and then the color shifting shimmer. I was seeing both colors as described. To best see the color shifting shimmer, you will want to magnetize this polish but it does look beautiful either way.

My photos show Vaporeware in 2 coats plus glossy top coat. Nothing in here will dry textured, you will want top coat for a glossy finish.

Clionadh Cosmetics
11.5ml, 10 Free, Vegan & Cruelty Free
Use my affiliate code NicoleLovesNails to save extra!
Website | Instagram | TikTok

Crystal Knockout – Fairy Impersonator

Inspiration: a hummingbird
Description: A lilac to periwinkle jelly thermal with tons of silver reflective glitter and color-shifting flakes in orange, violet, and fuchsia. 
Price: $12 for 15ml | Cap: None

Fairy Impersonator had a great but thick formula. The reflective glitters give this polish the ‘wet sand’ like application. They also dry down very textured, so you will want to double up on your top coat for a glossy finish.

The thermal aspect started changing on me right away. The warm state is a muted smokey medium blue and the warm state is muted smokey medium purple. The color combos paired with the flakies and glitters was so pretty in person. There were also some larger flakies in here.

My photos show Fairy Impersonator in 3 coat plus 2 coats of top coat. I opted to pair this with a glitter smoothing top coat before my quick dry top coat, that smoothed everything out for me. Removal of course will be very difficult, I wouldn’t recommend scrubbing this polish off for removal.

Crystal Knockout
15ml, 5 Free & Cruelty Free
Website | Etsy | Instagram | Facebook | Facebook Group

Ember Nail Lacquer – Into The Never

Inspiration: Blue and Purple Nebula
Description: Blue to purple duochrome Base, red holographic glitter, color shifting flakes of glitter and Blue shimmer
Price: $13 for 15ml | Cap: 150

Into The Never had a fantastic formula. The base starts off pretty sheer so this one will work well as both a topper and a full coverage polish. If you don’t mind obvious VNL, coverage is sheer but passable in 2 coats.

The flakies and glitters in here spread out pretty evenly with only a little bit of texture. A glitter smoothing top coat isn’t 100% necessary with this polish but I do think it will keep the polish looking more glossy after a few hours.

The holographic glitter was very sparkly but in normal indoor lighting as well as out in the sun. Out in direct lighting, the sheerness was more obvious.

My photos show Into The Never in 3 coats plus glossy top coat. This polish is sheer enough that I do think it would work well as a topper. Removal won’t be overly difficult.

Ember Nail Lacquer
15ml, 5 Free, Vegan, Cruelty Free
Website | Instagram

Heather’s Hues – ‘Bux Cup

Inspiration: Heather’s favorite Starbucks tumbler
Description: A sheer purple base packed with a mix of holo glitters, flakes, and microshreds as well as a mix of iridescent glitters and flakes.
Price: $12.50 for 15ml | Cap: 150

‘Bux Cup had a great but thicker formula. The thickness wasn’t terribly surprising since this polish has *a ton* of glitters and flakies in it. I didn’t have any issues with the application.

This polish is incredibly sparkly! Between the holo and the iridescent elements, there’s is a lot going on. There is some texture with it so I did opt for a glitter smoothing top coat before my quick dry top coat but I don’t think that was 100% necessary.

This polish also has a lot of larger flakies in it. ‘Bux Cup is one of my top picks from this month’s PPU!

My photos show ‘Bux Cup in 2 coats plus 2 coats of top coat. I had a little bit of VNL but there was just so much sparkle in here, that I really had to look for it to see it.

Heather’s Hues
15ml, 5 free, Vegan & Cruelty Free
Website | Instagram | Facebook | Facebook Group

KBShimmer – Awfully Frond Of You

Inspiration: Sunsets in the tropics
Description: Rich purple in color, this shade quickly shows off a range of hues from a bold fuchsia to a blue leaning royal to near indigo. A scattering of micro holo flakes adds a twinkle to your manicure.
Price: $12 for 15ml | Cap: None

Awfully Frond Of You had a really fantastic formula. It was surprisngly opaque and I only needed 2 coats to reach full opacity. The base is very pigmented so I expected it to be a stainer but I didn’t experience any with it. I would still recommend base coat (maybe even doubling up if purples tend to stain you.

The shimmer was strong and the colors were as described. The holo flakies add a nice touch without giving off any texture. I am a sucker for purples with shimmer and this polish was no exception to that rule.

My photos show Awfully Frond Of You in 2 coats plus glossy top coat.

KBShimmer – Sugar Scrub

Inspiration: breakfast
Description: scent of juicy blueberries is accented by sweet notes of warm cake. Sugary, with a hint of vanilla, you can almost imagine the scent of warm muffins fresh from the oven. Swirled in shades of cream and blue, this blueberry muffin inspired scrub will have you feeling like you had a good breakfast, no matter the time of day.
Price: $10 for 9.5oz | Cap: None

This month’s scent was exactly like what you would expect. There was also a nice dash of vanilla to go with the fruity + bakery scent.

KBShimmer
15ml, 5 free, Vegan & Cruelty Free
Website | Etsy | Amazon | Instagram | Facebook | Facebook Group

Night Owl Lacquer – Falloween Always

Inspiration: Lindsay’s favorite season/holiday, fall & Halloween. 
Description: a clear base filled with purple reflective glitter pigment, red/orange/gold/green crystal chameleon flakes and black flakes
Price: $13 for 15ml | Cap: None

Falloween Always had a beautiful but thicker formula. Despite the thickness, it was very easy to apply. Since this is in a clear base, you will want to build it up to get the most opacity.

It is no secret that I always (always) love it when Lindsay makes this clear base + flakies + reflective glitter polishes. This is no exception to that rule. The purple reflective glitter, gives the polish an overall purple look on the nail. In bright light, you see the purple reflects, in all other light sources you see a sparkly purple glitter on the nail.

Of course, the reflective glitters do make this polish fairly textured so I did pair it with a glitter smoothing top coat before my quick dry top coat. Removal will also of course, be on the more difficult side so the soak off method is reccomended.

My photos show Fallween Always in 2 coats plus 2 coats of top coat. I did have some slight VNL with this polish. I prefer this formula in 2 coats but 3 coats should get you full coverage.

Night Owl Lacquer
15ml, 5 Free & Cruelty-Free
Website | Instagram | Facebook | Facebook Group | TikTok

Poetry Cowgirl Nail Polish – Dusk in the Pines

inspiration: Dusk outside my kitchen window
Description: A delicate pale blue base packed with gold-orange-green shifting shimmer and iridescent UUC flakies and emerald green holo glitters
Price: $12.50 for 15ml | Cap: None

Dusk In The Pines had a beautiful formula. I am not generally a lover of baby blue polishes but paired with the shimmer? This was really stunning.

The shimmer is very strong, you get a beautiful iridescent effect from the flakies and the emerald glitters were a really nice touch as well.

My photos show Dusk In The Pines in 3 coats plus glossy top coat. Removal won’t be overly difficult but I still wouldn’t scrub it off.

Restored By Polish – Darling Dahlia

Inspiration: the dhalia flower
Description: a moody red, shifting from a deep cranberry to a brick red depending on the light. It has black to red flakes
Price: $13 for 12ml| Cap: 100

Darling Dahlia had a fantastic formula. The had that jelly/crelly kinda formula that red polishes often have. I did find that depending on lighting, it appeared to be different shades of red.

Broken record, but I am not a lover of red nail polish so this one wasn’t for me. I did however really like the flakies in here. Personally, I thought this looked amazing with a matte top coat.

My photos show Darling Dahila in 3 coats plus glossy and matte top coats. This will likely be a 2-3 coater depending on nail length.

Restored By Polish
12ml, 10 Free, Vegan & Cruelty Free
Website | Instagram | Facebook

Sassy Sauce Polish – Blue Diamonds

Inspiration: A photo of a New Years Eve dress.`
Description: a seafoam green jelly with sparkling micro glitter and a purple/pink/blue shifting shimmer
Price: $13 for 15ml| Cap: 500

Blue Diamonds had a good but thicker formula. It was a bit more opaque than I expected a jelly base to be, which I think was from the shimmer effect. The shimmer was very strong and the colors were as described.

The micro glitter gives this polish quite a bit of sparkle but with minimal texture. One coat of top coat seemed to smooth them out nicely.

My photos show Blue Diamonds in 3 coats plus glossy top coat. Coverage for this polish was pretty good in 2 coats but I did have some VNL. If you have shorter nails this will likely be a 2 coater.

Sassy Sauce Polish
15ml, 5 Free & Cruelty-Free
Website | Instagram | Facebook | Facebook Group

Twisting Nether Lacquer – The Wicked Deep

Inspiration: The cover of The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw
Description: a blue jelly with silver holo glitters, matte white glitter, silver flakes, and iridescent glitters. Also comes with a bag of moon and star glitters
Price: $13.50 for 15ml | Cap: 200

The Wicked Deep had a fantastic but thicker formula. I was not at all surprised at the thickness since this polish has a lot of glitter. I found it very easy to apply.

The chunky glitters came out easily without needing to hold the bottle upside down or do any fishing. However, I did run this one through my nail polish shaker before applying so you will want to give it a really good shake before using it. I found that when I was recording my live swatch (after several days of this sitting on my desk), I barely got any glitters out and had to give it a really good shake.

Those larger glitters do give this polish some texture so depending on personal preference, you will want 1-2 coats of top coat. I opted for a glitter smoothing top coat (KBShimmer Smooth Moves) and that smoothed everything out nicely.

Since this polish came with an extra bag of glitter, I did do some glitter placement for those larger glitters. It’s not necessary but if you give me a bag of glitter, I am going to use it.

My photos show The Wicked Deep in 3 coats plus 2 coats of top coat. Removal will of course be difficult due to the glitters. And since this is in a jelly base, I did also have VNL.

Polish Pickup
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Sale Information

The December Polish Pickup goes on sale Friday December 2nd at 11AM Eastern time for pre-order on PolishPickup.com. The sale period is over on Monday the 5th at 11:59PM.

Internationally shipping is available and for more information on PPU, check out their FAQS page.