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Hey friends! Today I am sharing my swatches for the October Polish Pickup. This month, the theme is monsters and mythology. I will fully admit that I went “meh…” when I saw the theme but the makers really did a fantastic job this month. The October PPU opens up this Friday!
As always, sale details and links can be found at the end of the post.
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.
1422 Designs – What Lurks Below
Inspiration: The legend of a creature lurking in the depths of Torch Lake, Michigan
Description: a mulberry jelly with blue-purple micro flakies and pink-orange-gold-green iridescent flakes.
Price: $12.50 for 15ml Cap: 100
What Lurks Below had a beautiful formula. It starts off on the sheer side so you will want to build it up for opacity. The flakies don’t make the base feel thick and they also spread out very evenly without giving off texture.
I swatched this in 3 coats. I found in 3 coats it wasn’t quite as dark as it looked in the bottle but still beautiful nonetheless. You will want top coat with this polish to bring out the flakies.
1422 Designs
15ml, 5 Free
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BCB Lacquers – Nyx
Inspiration: fan art of Nyx the Goddess of Night
Description: an orchid purple with a strong gold/purple shift and holo.
Price: $13 for 16.5ml Cap: 200
Nyx had a great formula. The shimmer is very strong and glowy in person. There are some brush strokes when the polish is wet but they seem to all but disappear as this dries down. The holographic gives this a nice sparkle.
I think this polish will be a 2-3 coater on most nails. It was a tiny bit sheer in 2 coats so I used 3 coats for my photos. Although on my middle nail (the live swatch nail) I accidentally used a really thick coat.
BCB Lacquers – Whipped Sugar Scrub: Dark Mist
Inspiration: Nyx
Description: A whipped sugar scrub with a custom oil blend for hydration and exfoliation! Scent is top notes of Ozone, Citrus, Acai Berries, Cherry, Plum, Blossums, Pear, Juniper, Basil, Mint & Agave. This has white and brown sugar for extra exfoliation. Throughout the scrub you will see black, purple, and blue jojoba beads. On top you will see a sprinkle of the purple, blue and gold jojoba beads.
Ingredients: Glycerin, Water, Sorbitol, Sodium Cocoyl/Lauroyl Isethionate, Disodium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate, Sodium Chloride, Phenoxyethanol, Tetrasodium EDT, Caprylyl Glycol, Methylparaben, Ethylparaben, Butylparaben, Propylparaben, Mannitol, Cellulose, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, Mica, Iron Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, Tin Oxide, Silica, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Mango Butter, Jojoba Oil Granulated White Sugar, Brown Sugar, Avocado Oil, Vitamin E, Sweet Almond Oil, Skin Safe Fragrance
Price: $9.50 for 2 ounces Cap: 50
This scrub is pretty fantastic. Since I first reviewed it last month, it has become a staple in my weekly manicure return. This month’s fragrance to me smelled strongly of ozone, a light berry and the freshness of mint (without smelling minty).
BCB Lacquers
16.5ml, 5 Free, Vegan & Cruelty-Free
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Bee’s Knees Lacquer – Gwishin
Inspiration: The egg-faced ghost of Korean mythology
Description: This is a lilac pastel multichrome that shifts to deep purple loaded with peridot metallic flakes
Price: $13 for 15ml Cap: none
Gwishin had a great formula. The flakies in this are very metallic in person. They do not dry textured and spread out very evenly. I found the multichrome base is not quite hidden but you mainly will be seeing the metallic flakies with a lilac shimmer in the background.
This will be opaque in 2-3 coats depending on application. I used 3 coats for my photos. This polish didn’t dry down textured for me so I used 1 coat of top coat for me photos.
Bee’s Knees Lacquer
15ml, 5+ Free, Vegan & Cruelty-Free
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Cameo Colours Lacquers – Pyramid Of Silence
Inspiration: One of Cameo’s favorite video game monsters, Pyramid Head, of the Silent Hill franchise.
Description: A dusty taupe crelly base, full of scattered holo sparkle, red and gunmetal micro flakes, dark grey flakes, small red glitter, dark grey flakes, small red glitter, and silver holo micro flakes.
Price: $11.50 for 15ml Cap: 105
Pyramid Of Silence had a really beautiful crelly formula. It starts off on the sheer side but builds up nicely in 3 coats. This is a beautiful taupe shade that is perfect for fall!
All of the flakes and glitters spread out evenly without giving off any noticeable texture. I used 3 coats for my photos. Nothing in here will dry textured or be difficult to remove.
Cameo Colours Lacquers
15ml, 5 free, Vegan & Cruelty-Free
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Colores De Carol – A+ In Monsterology
Inspiration: the movie Monsters University
Description: A light celeste blue with neon glitters in various shapes and sizes.
Price: $12.50 for 15ml Cap: None
A+ In Monsterology had a great formula. This is PACKED with glitters. While this polish didn’t feel thick from the glitters, you will want to go in for thin coats so that your nail doesn’t look chunky.
This polish dries down slightly more sheer than it applies so in 2 coats so I had some obvious VNL. My photos show this polish in 3 coats, plus 1 coat of Glisten & Glow’s Glitter Grabber and of course glossy top coat. Removal will be difficult so I would recommend soaking this one off.
Colores De Carol
15ml, 5 Free, Vegan & Cruelty-Free
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Color Spectrum Polish – Mermaid Myths
Inspiration: Mermaids
Description: A rose pink with red shimmer, holo and purple to blue to turquoise shifting metallic flakies
Price: $12 for 13ml Cap: 115
Mermaid Myths had an amazing formula. It didn’t feel over thick or thin but I did notice that it did run down the stem of the brush a little bit. The shimmer in this is VERY strong and the holo is just as strong. The flakies aren’t super dense but they aren’t sparse either. The color combo is very mermaidy.
I think this will be a solid 3 coater unless you go in for thick coats. Nothing in here will dry textured or be difficult to remove.
Color Spectrum Polish – Mermaid Life Lip Balm
Inspiration: Mermaids
Description: A vegan lip balm tinted rose pink with flavors of fruit parfait & melons with rainbow shimmer
Ingredients: Sunflower Wax, Castor Oil, Jojoba Oil, Coconut Oil, Vitamin E & Flavoring.
Price: $5 for .15oz Cap: 45
Y’all know I love this lip balm! it’s the one I reach for on a daily basis. The fragrances are never overpowering.
This month’s scent is very sweet and fruity smelling. It gives a very light tint to the lips but on my lips it wasn’t very noticeable. The shimmer is *very* slight, you won’t get full on glitter lips with it but your lips will have a nice shine.
Color Spectrum Polish
13ml, 7 Free, Vegan & Cruelty free
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Crystal Knockout – Souls of Wind And Thunder
Inspiration: The Wild Hunt
Description: A dark blue-black base with a golden glow and matte white glitters in multiple sizes
Price: $11 for 15ml Cap: None
Souls of Wind And Thunder had a fantastic formula. It starts off on the sheer side but builds up for full opacity. The glitters all spread out evenly and easily on their own. I didn’t need to hold the bottle upside down or do any glitter placement. They do dry down slightly textured so you will want to double up on top coat for a smooth finish.
I used 3 coats for my photos. This is sheer enough that it would make for an interesting topper. The gold shimmer is very strong in this base. Removal will be difficult due to all of the glitters.
Crystal Knockout
15ml, 5 Free & Cruelty Free
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Cupcake Polish – Be Prepared
Inspiration: Inspired by Scar from The Lion King- a true monster and literally the worst sibling ever
Description: a purple jelly nail Polish filled with red/gold iridescent shimmer, red/gold iridescent flakies, and a touch of holographic micro flakies.
Price: $13 for 15ml Cap: None
Be Prepared had a wonderful formula. It didn’t feel overly thick at all despite being packed with flakies. The shimmer and flakies in this have a beautiful color shift to them!
This polish had pretty good coverage in two coats. I did have some VNL so I used 3 coats for my photos. Depending on the angle of my hand, I had some slight VNL in person but it was very minimal. The third coat deepened the color to what I was seeing in the bottle.
Nothing in here dried textured or will be difficult to remove. I didn’t experience any staining.
Cupcake Polish
15ml, 5 Free & Cruelty Free
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Fancy Gloss – Pegasus
Inspiration: Pegasus
Description: Blue (cold) to white (warm) with two types of blue/green/indigo/aqua clear flakes and some blue shimmer.
Price: $12.50 for 15ml Cap: 350
Pegasus had a great formula. The flakies all spread out evenly and easily. I found the warm state is a very pale baby blue that is almost white and the cold state is vibrant medium blue.
This had pretty good coverage in 2 coats but it was a little bit uneven. So I think this will be a 3 coater for most people. My photos show it in 3 coats plus top coat.
Fancy Gloss
15ml, 10 free, Vegan & Cruelty-Free
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Garden Path Lacquers – New Age Philosphy Major
Inspiration: Art, from ‘Monsters University’
Description: a vibrant purple micro glitter polish packed with red/orange Aurora shimmer and matching iridescent Aurora flakes.
Price: $13 for 12ml Cap: None
New Age Philosophy Major had an amazing formula. This polish is next level glowy in person. My jaw dropped when I applied this to my nails. The flakies/glitters all spread out evenly and easily on their own. The glitters are *extremely* small so they do not dry textured. In person, the colors I was seeing were pink, orange, and gold.
This polish will be a 2-3 coater depending on personal preference and nail length. If you don’t have a free edge, you could get away with using 2 coats. I found that I had a slight bit of VNL in 2 coats so my photos show this one in 3 coats.
Just out of curiosity, I also swatched this in 1 coat over a black creme and just WOW. The shimmer is even stronger over black.
Garden Path Lacquers
12ml, 5 Free, Vegan & Cruelty Free
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Glisten & Glow – Revive Your Monster
Inspiration: Monster Energy Drink Raspberry Tea!
Description: a fuchsia jelly/crelly polish with various shapes and sizes of black, gun metal, light gray and silver holo glitters
Price: $12.50 for 15ml NO CAP
Revive Your Monster had a great crelly formula. This polish didn’t feel thick at all despite having so much glitter in it. The glitters all spread out evenly and easily without doing anything special.
This had pretty good coverage in 2 coats. It’s passable in 2 but I used 3 coats for my photos. This dries a bit textured so I paired this with the Glisten & Glow Glitter Grabber. I also used the G&G top coat for my swatches.
Glisten & Glow – Cuticle Remover & Cuticle Oil Pen Duo
Description: Cuticle Remover is scented in Fresh Picked Apples (fresh, juicy apples picked right from the orchard). Cutitcle Oil is scented in Caramel Apples (tart, crispness of apple layered with the rich, creaminess of caramel)
Price: $12 Cap: None
This was my first time trying the cuticle remover pen by this brand. I have been using it regularly for about 2-3 weeks now and I find it works really well. It’s a thicker formula so it stays put really well. The scent is exactly the same as the Fresh Picked Apples cuticle oil that I reviewed earlier this month. It smells SO good! It smells just like real apples.
The cuticle oil is also the same as the one I reviewed earlier this month. For my full review on the Glisten & Glow cuticle oils (spoiler, they’re great, I recommend them and am still using them today) check out this blog post Glisten & Glow Fall 2021 Cuticle Oils.
Glisten & Glow
15ml, 5 Free, Vegan & Cruelty-Free
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Hearts & Promises – Vampire Blood
Inspiration: Vampires
Description: a dark pink to dark red thermal polish with a sprinkle of gold flakes, rainbow iridescent flakes, and gold sparks.
Price: $12.50 for 15ml Cap: 300
Vampire Blood had a fantastic formula. This is a beautiful vampy shade! The thermal aspect started changing on me right away. I found the warm state to be a warm red-toned pink leaning berry and the cold state is a oxblood red shade. The flakes give this a really pretty golden sparkles.
I used 3 coats for my photos. I found this was a tiny bit sheerer than I would like in 2 coats. Potentially, if you go in for thicker coats, this might be good in two. Nothing in here dried textured nor will it be difficult to remove. I didn’t experience any staining.
Hearts & Promises
15ml, 5 Free
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Heather’s Hues – Quite Frankly
Inspiration: Frankenstein
Description: a violet base with violet-pink-green-gold magnetic pigment, purple and blue metallic glitters, and a mix of multichrome flakes in blue-green-gold and lime-blue-copper
Price: $12.50 for 15ml Cap: None
Quite Frankly had a great formula. The purple base is on the darker side of the spectrum but I don’t see this being confused for a black. I also feel like it leans slightly blurple due to the glitters/flakes. The magnetic pigment in this is very strong. I didn’t have any problems getting it magnetized using a ring magnet.
I swatched this polish in 2 coats. On my middle nail, I show it unmagnetized. This one is very pigmented. I would suggest doubling up on base coat if your nails are prone to staining. Nothing in here will be difficult to remove or dry textured.
Heather’s Hues
15ml, 5 free, Vegan & Cruelty Free
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KBShimmer – Rise Up
Inspiration: The pheonix flying in an early evening sky
Description: slate blue crelly base with metallic flakes that shift from a deep, fiery red, burnt orange, burnished gold and green at extreme angles
Price: $11 for 15ml Cap: None
Rise Up had a wonderful formula. It was thinner than I had expected for a flakie crelly but it didn’t feel overly thin. The flakies spread out evenly and easily without giving off texture. The flakes in this are very fall and beautifully firey.
This polish had pretty good coverage in 2 coats. I found it was still a bit sheer so I used 3 coats for my photos. 1 coat of the KBShimmer top coat smoothed this out completely. Nothing in here will be overly difficult to remove.
KBShimmer – Under The Sea Hand & Body Sugar Scrub
Inspiration: The Little Mermaid movie
Description: perfect blend of frozen drink and tropical island where I imagine mermaids might spend their time on land. Fruity, sweet, and succulent notes of fresh-from-the-market juicy watermelon, sticky cantaloupe, and pure sugarcane; blooms of lilies and orchids; plus, salty ocean breezes and pure white sand combine beautifully to make this luscious fragrance. One whiff, and you’ll feel like you’re lounging on a tropical beach watching frolicking mermaids rule the sea. If you like Just Beachy, you will love this boldly colored scrub swirled in hues of purple, pink, and aqua, with a hint of pink biodegradable glitter on top. Featuring a heat-sealed lid for no leaks in transit.
Price: $10 for 9.5 ounces Cap: None
KB Shimmer
15ml, 5+ free, Vegan & Cruelty Free
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LynB Designs – Meowgical
Inspiration: the mythical and fabulous caticorn
Description: a medium grey toned purple base with intense pink to orange to green shifting shimmer and scattered holo sparkle
Price: $13 for 15ml Cap: None
Meowgical had a wonderful formula. It starts off on the sheer side but builds up nicely. I found the shimmer is very strong and color shifty. In person, I was seeing pink, gold/orange, green and blue at extreme angles. The shimmer is more dispersed so it doesn’t show brush strokes.
I think this will be. 2-3 coater depending on your nail length. I found on me, I had good coverage in 2 coats but I had some obvious VNL. So my photos show Meowgical in 3 coats. This does dry down dull so you will want top coat for a glossy finish.
LynB Designs
15ml, 5 free, Vegan
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Moonflower Polish – Spirit of the Forest
Inspiration: Dryads from Greek Mythology
Description: A dirty olive green base with red-pink-gold ultrachrome flakies and copper shimmer
Price: $12.50 for 15ml Cap:100
Spirit of the Forest had a really great formula. It was slightly on the thicker side of normal but I wouldn’t say it was overly thick. It applied very nicely. The flakies in this a very small and if I didn’t have the description in front of me, I would have called them a shimmer effect. I was seeing all of the described colors in person.
This was opaque on me in 2 coats. Longer nails might need a third coat to cover VNL. Nothing in here dried textured but you will want top coat as this dries slightly dull.
Moonflower Polish
15ml, 5 Free, Cruelty Free
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MTK Design – Owl Be There
Inspiration:Athena & her owl; Art Deco style fan art
Description: sheer pale aqua (warmest) to bright aqua (cool/mid) to teal (coldest; below 72 degrees) tri-thermal, with serious amounts of copper shimmer and sparkle!
Price: $12.00 for 15ml Cap: None
Owl Be There had a fantastic formula. I found the thermal aspect in this changed on me right away. My hands were leaning very warm the day I swatch this so I had a very hard time keeping my fingers cold to show the cold state. I found all of the described colors to be accurate to what I was seeing in person. The copper shimmer was very strong.
I used 3 coats for my photos. This polish is on the sheer side in the warm state. You will have some VNL with it. If you are like me and have a few dings on your natural nails, I would recommend using a ridge filling base or a VNL blurring base to obscure imperfections. Which I didn’t do and am regretting!
MTK Designs
15ml, 5 Free & Cruelty Free
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Music City Beauty – Medusa
Inspiration: Medusa
Description: A green/black 5D magnetic with orange-gold crystal flakies
Price: $13 for 15ml Cap: 150
Medusa had a beautiful formula. This polish is very opaque, it is easily a 1 coater. I found the magnetic pigment to be very easy to work with. And I was seeing all of the described colors in person. The flakes are a bit sparse on the nail and do not dry down textured.
This polish really impressed me with how it looked magnetized! My photos show it in 2 coats. All of my nails except for the middle nail were magnetized. Nothing in here will dry textured or be difficult to remove.
Music City Beauty
15ml, 5 Free, Vegan and Cruelty-Free
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My Indie Polish – Amarok
Inspiration: a picture of an Inuit legend
Description: a bright sky blue with matte white flakies, peach triangles and mini white stars
Price: $13 for 15ml Cap: ?
Amarok had a great crelly formula. The flakies and glitters spread out pretty nicely on their own without needing to do glitter placement. I found I got more glitters/flakies out on the nail when I held the bottle upside down between coats.
This polish will dry down textured so you will want to go in for 2 coats of top coat for a glossy finish. I used 3 coats for my photos plus 1 coat of Glitter Grabber and then 1 coat of quick dry top coat.
Removal will be difficult due to the glitters so I would recommend soaking this polish off or wearing a peel off base coat.
My Indie Polish
15ml, 7 free, Vegan & Cruelty-Free
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Native War Paints – Unicorn Club
Inspiration: Unicorns
Description: Cyan/blue/purple/pink shifting shimmer, aqua/purple/pink shifting iridescent flakies with scattered holographic in a sheer indigo base.
Price: $12.75 for 15ml Cap: 200
Unicorn Club had a pretty good formula. It felt slightly on the thicker side of normal but it applied very nicely. This is a VERY shimmery and sparkly polish. In person, I was seeing blue to purple color shift with a very strong linear holographic effect. I found in direct lighting, I had pretty obvious VNL. In my normal house lighting, I wasn’t seeing any VNL.
This polish is sheer enough that it could be used as a topper. I wouldn’t recommend it over detailed nail art as it is dense but over an opaque base, it will look stunning! I swatched this polish in 3 coats on its own as well as 1 coat over black.
Native War Paints – Unicorn Clun Earrings
Inspiration: Unicorns
Description: 1.5 inch chevron tear drops with cyan/blue/purple/pink shifting shimmer, aqua/purple/pink shifting iridescent flakies with scattered holographic in clear resin on rainbow metal hooks.
Price: $10 for the pair Cap: 30
I LOVE these earrings! I was a little concerned that they would feel heavy due to the size, but they are surprisingly light. They are very sparkly, especially in natural lighting.
My ears are somewhat sensitive to metals so I have been wearing these around the house for almost 2 weeks to see if they make my ears itch at all. I have worn them daily for about a a week and a half at the time of writing, and I haven’t had any issues with my ears getting inflamed or itchy.
Native War Paints
15ml & 5 Free
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NeVerMind Apothecary – Flayer Of Minds
Inspiration: D&D Mind Flayer
Description: a creamy grey base with red and purple duchrome color shift
Price: $13 for 15ml Cap: 200
Flayer Of Minds had a beautiful formula. It didn’t feel overly thick or thin and I didn’t have any application issues. The base color is slightly on the darker side of the grey spectrum. I found the purple color shift is the more dominant color shift in the shimmer with the red coming in as I moved my hands around.
This will be a 2-3 coater depending on personal preference. I used 3 coats for my photos BUT I feel like I was being a little picky by doing 3 coats to be perfectly honest. This was good on me in 2 coats. Flayer Of Minds does dry dull so you will want to apply top coat for a glossy finish.
NeVerMind Apothecary
15ml, 5 Free, Vegan & Cruelty-Free
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Night Owl Lacquer – Sasquatch Sighting
Inspiration: Sasquatch
Description: a brown linear holographic with multichrome shimmer that shifts rosy bronze/copper/gold/green.
Price: $13 for 15ml Cap: None
Sasquatch Sighting had a really great formula. It didn’t feel overly thick or thin and I had zero application issues. In person, I was seeing all of the described colors. This polish is also very holographic! I really am kicking myself for swatching this polish at night as it would look amazing in the sun.
On me, Sasquatch SIghting was opaque in 2 coats. Longer nails *might* want to go in for a third coat if using very thin coats.
Night Owl Lacquer
15ml, 5 Free & Cruelty Free
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Pretty Beautiful Unlimted – From The Ashes
Inspiration: The Phoenix
Description: a black to red multichrome pigment and black to red multichrome flakies with red and black holographic micro glitters and purple to red to gold crystal chameleon flakies
Price: $13 for 15ml Cap: 190 US / 10 UK
From The Ashes had an amazing formula! This polish was SO beautiful in person. I was seeing all of the describes colors from the multichrome pigment as well as in the flakies. This polish was just so firey and flat out stunning in person.
I think this polish will likely be a solid 3 coater. It was still None of the components in this will dry texture but you will still want top coat for a glossy finish.
Pretty Beautiful Unlimited Sweet Fire Wax Melt
Inspiration: The Phoenix
Description: Smoke and wood warm a union of clove, amber, sandalwood, and patchouli. Light hints of fruit, musk and leather. Subtle hints of marshmallow, honey, chocolate and vanilla. Finished off with tonalities of polished leather and fine bourbon.
Ingredients: Para-Soy Wax, fragrance oil, glitter and/or mica.
Price: $6 for 2.5oz Cap: None
This month’s wax melt is fall in a cube! The scents that I was picking the most were that smokey woodsy scent, musk, a very light hint of someting fruity, sweetness of the marshmallow, and just a smidge of vanilla. I think the leather/bourbon gives it an aged (I mean that in the best way possible) kind of note so that it is very autumn.
The scent throw has been phenomenal!
Pretty Beautiful Unlimited
15ml, 5 Free, Cruelty Free
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Red Eyed Lacquer – Where’d The Crystal Critters Go?
Inspiration: Crystal Foxes from Star Wars
Description: A gray crelly with silver/blue/green shifting flakies and a red/gold shifting shimmer
Price: $12.50 for 13ml Cap:150
Where’d The Crystal Critters Go? had a fantastic formula. The base color is a very light gray, not so light that it looks white but close to that. The shimmer and flakies pair so well with this base!
This polish will likely be a 3 coater to build up the most opacity. It applies very evenly so if you don’t mind very obvious VNL, this could be a 2 coater. I used 3 coats for my photos.
Red Eyed Lacquer – Da Balm-er You Dessert It!
Inspiration: Hedylogos god of sweet talk
Description: Use a sparingly amount onto hands, arms, elbows, legs, everywhere that needs a boost of moisture! (Please avoid the face area). Scented in a blend of warm caramel vanilla and Angel food cake
Ingredients: Mango Butter, Shea Butter, Kokum Butter, Cocoa Butter, Coconut Oil, Almond Oil, Jojoba Oil, Arrowroot Powder, and Skin Safe Fragrance
Price: $7.50 for 1oz Cap: 100
This was my first time trying this brand’s body butter. I was very impressed! It’s a very nongreasy formula that absorbs very quickly. I am really looking forward to using this in the coming months, as it’s gotten cold here and my skin is already starting to be dry as hell.
This month’s fragrance has a delicious scent. It smelled exactly how it is described without being sickly sweet or overpowering.
Red Eyed Lacquer
12ml, 5 free & Cruelty-Free
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Sassy Sauce Polish – Reptile Dysfunction
Inspiration: a photo of a medusa tattoo
Description: an eggplant thermal that fades to violet when warm with a strong red/golden shimmer and blue/green/purple shifting ghost flakies
Price: $12.50 for 15ml Cap: 400 bottles
Reptile Dysfunction had a wonderful formula. The name for this polish is HILARIOUS! The thermal aspect of this polish changed very easily on me. I found the shimmer changed from a red to gold with green at extreme angles. The flakies look amazing in the base and I was seeing all of the described colors in person.`
I think polish would be good for people who are hesitant about purchasing a thermal as the color difference between these two isn’t a huge difference. I would imagine that once this no longer transitions, you will still have a beautiful purple shade.
I used 3 coats for my photos. I did experience staining with this polish after 24 hours in some spots on my hard gel overlay. My natural nails weren’t affected.
Sassy Sauce Polish
5 Free & Cruelty-Free
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Sweet & Sour Lacquer – Back To Nature
Inspiration: Swamp Thing
Description: a multichrome magnetic micro flakie polish, shifting from green/gold/copper/pink in a murky green jelly base, paired with black flakies.
Price: $13 for 15ml Cap: 250
Back To Nature had a great formula. It didn’t feel overly thick or thin and I didn’t have any application issues. It went on very smoothly and very evenly without giving off texture. This polish is just JAM PACKED with flakies! If you are a messy polisher, cleanup will be a little messy but using a dry cleanup brush or tape will clean off the flakes.
I was seeing all of the described colors in person. Darlene really nailed the whole Swamp Thing look with this polish. I found I had pretty good coverage in 2 coats but I had a little bit of visible nail line. My photos show this polish in 3 coats.
I found this one magnetize on me very easily using a ring magnet. I had a little trouble magnetizing my live swatch nail on camera so I ended up using the DRK nails magnetic effect topcoat for the middle nail.
Note: I used the Sweet & Sour Lacquer top coat for this swatch. I have been using it a lot recently and will be available during the October PPU for $7 with no cap!
Sweet & Sour Lacquer
15ml, 5 Free & Cruelty-Free
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Feel free to use my code ‘SWEETNICOLE10‘ to save 10% on S&S website orders
Twisting Nether Lacquer – Beware The Kitsune
Inspiration: Kitsune
Description: a white crelly with strong red shimmer, ruby red metallic micro flakes, black stars and matte red and black glitter mix
Price: $13 for 15ml Cap: 200
Beware The Kitsune had a fantastic crelly formula. The flakes and glitters all spread out easily. I found to get the most glitters/flakes out on the nail, holding this upside between coats will get you the most bang for your buck. I wasn’t getting a ton of stars out on the nail so all but 1 or 2 stars in my swatch are using the bag of stars this polish comes with.
This polish had good coverage in 2 coats but I wanted more glitters on my nails so I used 3 coats for my photos. I found this dried slightly sheerer than it applied but if you don’t mind slight VNL, you could definitely wear this in 2 coats.
This dries down slightly textured. I found the star glitters were the more textured glitter. So how textured this dries down will depend on how many stars are on your nail. For my swatch, I added the stars to the first and seconds coats.
Twisting Nether Lacquer
15ml, 5 Free, Vegan & Cruelty Free
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Sale Info
These items will be available on PolishPickup.com starting Friday October 1st at 11AM Eastern time. The UK site, PolishPickup.co.uk opens this Thursday. Orders to the same name/address on the US site are automatically combined and shipping on multiple orders refunded. Details on shipping charges can be found here. Items purchased during the sale period are a pre-order and generally ship 3-4 weeks after the sale period is over.
Polish Pickup
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Other Products Used
- Base coat: Vapid Commitment Issues (peel off) & Heather’s Hues 1st Base
- Top Coat: KBShimmer Clearly On Top, Glisten & Glow Top Coat (received in PR) & Sweet & Sour Lacquer Gloss Sauce (gifted (save 10% with my code SweetNicole10)
- Matte Top Coat: Glisten & Glow Matte
- Heather’s Hues Shadow (black creme)
- Blacklight flash light
A note on thermal/solar polishes…
I want to note that thermal and solar polishes do have a shelf life on how long they will change colors. Generally, they are guaranteed to change colors for 6-12 months depending on the brand. Be sure when shipping thermals during the summer months to not let them sit for an extended time in your mailbox as the heat will kill them.
My oldest thermal that still transitions is from 2018. My oldest solar is from 2019 and also still transitions. To get the most out of a thermals/solars (all nail polish really) you’ll want to store them in a cool, dark place. I store my thermals with my other nail polish in the Ikea helmers. Once a thermal no longer changes color (aka dies), you can still wear them! The thermals that I own that have died, all stayed in the warm state but it’s not guaranteed to stay in the warm.
