MotM: June!

This June's Mani of the Month box is really amazing.  I say that.  ALL THE TIME.  But I mean it!  This month's box has a tropical theme that's perfect for summer.

It contains:

From Heather's Hues

• A Full sized cream polish in Coral Cove
• A mini polish in Seaside
• A baggie of Sea Glass glitter

From Dream Polish

• A mini Smooth Gem base coat in Hawaiian Paradise
• A mini Gem Glam top coat in Hawaiian Paradise
• A full sized cuticle balm in Hawaiian Paradise

From Nails Redesigned

• A sheet of wave vinyls
• A sheet of dolphins (!)
• A sheet of tropical flower masks
• Some little coral gemstones

This month's full sized polish, Coral Cove, is a bright neon.  It's a creamy shade, opaque in two even coats, with glass flecks and maybe a hint of a duochrome shimmer.  Just a wee bit.  It dried almost matte, but shines up lovely with the top coat.  For this mani I used the floral nail guides from Nails Redesigned and sponged on some orange to create the flowers, added the top coat, and placed the included gems before it dried to keep them in place!

I did notice that this polish stained, slightly.  It's something a lot of neons do due to the rich colouration of the pigment.  I've been working on developing a whitening/stain removing soak, though, so it was a great oppertunity to try it out.

The mini, Seaside, is a totally different category of polish.  Sometimes the polishes in the box are complementary, but not this month!  Seaside is a deep blue jelly loaded with glass flecks and a bit of transparent glitter shapes. For this mani I applied two even layers and stamped some waves using silver and applied the Wax Effect top coat from Dream Polish (not in the box).   I've done a mani like this before and thought this was the perfect chance to 'recreate it'.  On the accent nail I placed some of the Sea Glass.

The Dream Polish scent this month is Hawaiian Paradise.  It's an amazing tropical pina colada scent.  It smells so good I want to eat it!  It's not something I would have ever ordered on my own so I'm really glad it was included so that I got to try it out because I love it.

I have a couple more ideas for the kit using the wave vinyls and dolphins that I hope to post this week, so keep an eye out!

Love Animals: A Review

LLrowe recently started carrying the Love Animals line of opaque stamping polishes from Esmaltes da Kelly and I was fortunate enough to order a few.  Ok.  To order a bunch.  I had been saving up to order them from an UK distributor where the prices and shipping are (much) higher so having them available via Llarowe I was really able to splurge!  

I ordered a rainbow of shades along with black, white, and a light grey.

Here I used Flufi, the light BRIGHT pink flamingo.  It's a bit more neon than I am ever able to capture on camera.  As you can see, though, it stamps opaque and with very good detail!  It is full of pigment and dries matte which also means it dries quicker than a regular polish so you need to work fast.  Because of this it was difficult (for me!) to work with on it's own to create a gradient.  Being super opaque, though, this is maybe three dabs of the sponge.

Unlike Mundos these polishes do not smell harsh.  They do have a slightly stronger than average polish smell to them, but none of the chemical mess.  And unlike Mundos they do not separate at ridiculous speeds if you let them sit. 

One of my main concerns about Mundos polishes are that they stain your skin.  They don't just get everywhere because they are so thick, but certain colours stain.  I haven't had that issue with these, although I do mask every time I stamp with a latex product.

They are nicely opaque.  Black covers well and the bright shades cover darker shades easily.  I borrowed this photo from Instagram to show you some swatches.

I had minimal issues with smearing.  Most polishes will smear if you top coat them when they're wet and just like any other stamping polish, it's best to let your design sit a second or two before you fuss.  I use Gem Glam from Dream Polish and it rarely smears anything anyway, so I would recommend that for any nail art you create.

Here I used a base of Join the Party from MDJ Creations and then created a gradient stamped effect using Bee, Cleo, and Chuvisco using the new Bundle Monster Polynesian plate XL-101.  I missed the tip of my nail a bit here, they're getting long to work with.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Are these polishes worth investing in at 8.50$us a bottle?  

I think so.  

They're an easy to work with formula that would be suitable for beginners. Unless Mundos they are not messy or gloopy and don't stink.  They are also seem to be in stock, still, where as Mundos have sold out.  I still recommend the opaques by Just Rica to start with as well, but if you're looking to branch out colour wise these are a good option.

Twos-Day!

Same exact mani, two different colour options. Which do you like best?

• Fangirl Polish Wyldestyle
• Duh Nail Polish Vegas Collection blue and purple

• Noodles Nail Polish Citrus Twist
• Duh Nail Polish Vegas Collection lime

The Logo!

Here it is, what is *probably* the final verion of the logo for Glitter and Gratitude.

I went through several similar versions.  It started with two Gs (one for glitter and one for gratitude) and sort of went from there.  I had to take into consideration how the results would cut out in vinyl, since the logo will be on bottles and jars.  Everything looked nice, but nothing felt right.  That is, until I literally drew it myself.  It's not perfect, but it's exactly right.

The G is tilted some to look like an elephant's massive ear and the tail of the letter turns into a trunk, symbolizing Ganesh, the 'remover of obstacles'.  He's a fitting symbol for my endeavor which I hope to focus on wellness inside and out.

It will be a little while yet until I can get things up and running, I'm working on some certifications and some classes as well as an apprenticeship with a local herbalist.  I'm so excited to show you what's coming, so please check back often and follow me on IG @giavolpe.

Twos-Day (A day late!)

Same exact mani, two different colour options. Which do you like best?

Duh Nail Polish What Happens Here, Stays Here and It's Not Illegal, It's Frowned Upon

Mentality Alarm and Bolt