Review: Pop Rocks Trio by Black Label Nails

Hey y'all! Today on the blog I am sharing the brand new Pop Rocks trio from Black Label Nails with you! This adorable neon jelly trio is the perfect led lighters trio with a bonus - they are black light activated and glow like crazy! Since these are so very sheer, I do not have traditional swatch photos to share with you, rather some photos of a mani that I did with them so you could see them in action. I also have a live video showing how they work, so make sure you click below to see that. 

The main technique that these polishes can be used for is led lighting. If you've never tried led lighting or you're new to stamping - led lighting is the process used to "color in" stamped images after they've been stamped to your nail. Typically you will see this done over a white or silver base (silver holo is fun too!). In my mani, I chose to use a white base since these are neons so that they would pop more. I used UberChic Beauty plate #4-01 and my clear jelly stamper from BornPrettyStore to stamp the floral image on my ring finger. I waited for the stamping to be dry and then topcoated with a quick dry topcoat. Once it was all dry, I went back with the pink, Pop Rocks! Strawberry and filled in close to the flower's centers. Then I used the blue, Pop Rocks! Tropical Punch and feathered it in with Strawberry to create a gradient effect between the colors. I used the green, Pop Rocks! Green Apple to give the stems some color and fill in the blank spaces between flowers. I used a small detail brush from UberChic Beauty to led light but you can also use a dotting tool.

Another technique I did using the Pop Rocks trio is shown on my index and middle finger. I painted my base color black and used a white creme to dry brush over the black. Then I used all three of the jellies to dab color over the dry brush. I just used the brushes inside the polishes themselves to dab the colors over the white. 

The final technique that I did using the Pop Rocks trio was a squishy marble using all three colors. On my pinkie, I painted a white base and then dabbed a bunch of random dots of color on my nail and went back in with my clear stamper and smooshed them together until they started to blend. I peeled off my liquid latex barrier and topcoated marble. I stamped another image over it in black and topcoated again. 

I found the Pop Rocks trio very easy to work with for led lighting purposes and found them to be multi functional with other techniques as well. They blend nicely and they're the perfect sheerness to achieve a nice squishy look. They are also nice and bright and still give the neon effect despite being sheer. 

If you're interested in picking this collection up, it launches tomorrow, June 3rd in the Black Label Nails Etsy shop. They will be full size only and retail for $9. Jennifer will be offering a discount for purchases of the trio so if you're interested in buying all three, email her for more information. You can also follow Black Label Nails on Instagram for information on future releases! 

What is your favorite technique to do with jelly polishes? 

Thanks for reading! 

Swatch and Review: LynBDesigns Staycation Collection

Hey y'all! Today on the blog I have the Staycation Collection from LynBDesigns to share with you. This 9 piece collection consists of 8 cremes and 1 glitter topper. Each of the creme shades is a pastel or "bleached" neon color which is super fun for the upcoming summer season and the glitter topper is a fun addition to the collection! I have a ton of photos to share with you so I'm going to jump right in to the swatches. 

Oahu is a pastel magenta creme. I did have to add a few drops of thinner to this one because it was on the thicker side and somewhat difficult to apply to my nail. After the thinner it applied much easier in two coats - one thin coat and one thicker coat. Oahu has more of a crelly formula than a creme formula so it applied patchy on the first coat and leveled out on the second coat. All of my photos show two coats plus KBShimmer Clearly On Top quick dry topcoat.

Rio is a pastel pink neon creme that rivals the pinkest of Barbie pinks. I added a few drops of thinner to this one as well due to it being on the thicker side. Rio also has a crelly formula so the first coat is streaky and the second coat makes it opaque and the topcoat levels it out. All of my photos show two coats plus topcoat.

Miami is a soft coral neon creme. The color of Miami reminds me a lot of photos of China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy that I have seen. I don't own it personally to compare but its at least similar in color. Miami was also on the thicker side but a few drops of thinner fixed it right up. Despite some formula issues, Miami made it to my top 3 favorites of this collection. I applied it in one thin coat and one thick coat as I did the others and the topcoat leveled it out. My photos show two coats plus topcoat. 

Cabo is a pastel orange neon creme that reminds me of a creamsicle pop. Cabo needed a couple of drops of thinner as well but applied in two coats and smoothed out with topcoat. Cabo was another favorite for me - I usually don't love oranges or yellows against my skin tone but this one looked lovely. My photos show two coats plus topcoat. 

Bondi is a pastel yellow neon creme that is super vibrant and in your face bright. Bondi had a great formula for me - still a crelly formula but smooth and not thick at all. I applied one thin coat that was a bit patchy but leveled out and became opaque on the second coat. All of my photos show two coats plus topcoat. 

Santorini is a pastel green neon creme. Formula and application were like Bondi - smooth and not thick at all. Santorini is still more like a crelly than a true creme but it applied in two coats for full opacity. All of my photos show two coats plus topcoat. 

Ibiza is a pastel blue neon creme. Y'all....YOU GUYS. This one is my number one favorite - but those of you that have followed me for a while would have already guessed that. Ibiza is blue and blue nail polish = the best nail polish. Ibiza's formula was identical to Santorini and Bondi - a crelly like formula but opaque in two coats. All of my photos show two coats plus topcoat. 

Eluthera is a pastel purple neon creme. It is the final creme in this collection and rounds out the full ROYGBIV color spectrum nicely. Eluthera a nice and easy crelly like formula. All of my photos show two coats plus topcoat. 

Bora Bora is a clear galaxy holo topper. It was a bit tricky to catch on camera as it is very scattered and subtle but in person, its a beautiful chameleon - looking iridescent in artificial light but catching the fire of the holo in direct sun. I applied one coat over black in my photos and added topcoat. 

If you're interested in seeing the live swatch and review I did on this collection you can click below to head to my Youtube channel:

Overall thoughts on this collection are: the first half of the collection was a bit tricky for me and required a few drops of thinner but I've seen other reviews of this collection and most of the other ladies reviewing it didn't seem to have the same issues that I did. It is possible that maybe my bottles were slightly open during shipping and thats why they were thicker. Either way - the colors are gorgeous and the second half of the collection performed well for me. If this is your first neon collection - the pinks and the orange may be frustrating to apply if yours are like mine. I do have to say that Jennalyn of LynBDesigns has incredible customer service and I can rest assured knowing that if I had purchased this collection on my own and was unhappy with it that she would do everything to rectify the problem. Last thing to mention - these dry super fast. I mean, lightening fast. 5 minutes or less so unfortunately they do not water marble but the plus side is that you don't have to wait a long time for them to be dry. And I think that's it for my final thoughts. 

If you'd like to pick up this collection, they will retail for $6 each or $50 with free shipping (US only) for the entire 9 piece collection. The Staycation Collection launches May 6th, 2016 at 7pm EST in the LynBDesigns store. You can also follow LynBDesigns on Instagram and Facebook for more swatches or join us in the LynBLoves Facebook group for exclusive looks into further collections and news about current sales and collections. 

Thanks for reading, 

Review: Nails Redesigned

nailsredesigned.com

Hey y'all! Today on the blog I have some products that I reviewed from Nails Redesigned to share with you! I am always interested in trying new nail and hand care items and I definitely loved everything that I tried from Nails Redesigned. They sent me everything you see in the photo below:

Relaxing Foot Scrub, Limoncello Hand Scrub, Calm Your Tips Cuticle Oil in Limoncello,
3 Mani Bombs in Limoncello

I've been swatching a lot this week, so this package was right on time for me! My hands were in desperate need of some TLC. I started with one of the little floral shaped mani bombs to relax my hands a bit and give them some moisture back. They all came perfectly packaged and not broken or crumbly which was impressive!

After I used the mani bomb, I decided to use the Limoncello hand scrub. The ingredients are: Sea salt, almond oil, himalayan pink salt, and fragrance oil. Its pretty coarse but felt really nice on my hands. I can see how it might be a little rough if you rubbed your hands together too hard but if you're gentle, the result is very exfoliating while feeling nice and leaving your hands feeling rejuventated and smooth. 

I pushed my cuticles back as I normally would do during a mani and then applied the limoncello Calm Your Tips cuticle oil. This cuticle oil is different than any others that I own because it comes in a roller ball container vs. the usual doe foot applicator. I really loved the product - it was very moisturizing and set into the skin quickly but I did have a bit of trouble with getting the product to start coming out of the container. Now that I've gotten it started, it can leak a bit from behind the roller ball. Barring any issues I have with the packaging, I would absolutely purchase this product myself. I have used it countless times since receiving it. 

Calm Your Tips cuticle oil

The last product I reviewed is the relaxing foot scrub. The ingredients are: sea salt, almond oil, himalayan pink salt, and menthol crystals. This felt a bit more coarse than the hand scrub and was absolutely relaxing for my feet. I'll spare you the evidence because...feet but suffice to say that I spend so much time caring for my hands that my feet tend to get neglected and this definitely did the trick for them. As a mom, I feel like I never sit down, so it was a real treat to draw a bath, listen to some music, and scrub my feet down with the relaxing foot scrub.

I did a full review on my channel as well which includes me demoing these products. Click below to check it out! 

If you want to pick these products up, they're all available on the Nails Redesigned website as well as many other products and scents. The mani bombs retail for $2.50 each, the cuticle oil retails for $4 (mini) and $6.50 full size, the hand scrub retails for $6-$10 depending on scent and size, and the foot scrub retails for $10.

Which of these products would you try?

Thanks for reading!

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Maple Holistics Review

Hey y'all! Today on the blog I have a review of some products from Maple Holistics. I know that I've always blogged about nail polish and other nail and hand related items here. Additionally, my youtube channel and other social media accounts have always been about nail polish. I want to let you guys know that my primary focus will remain on polish and other related items but that I am also branching out and talking about some other things. That is where this review comes in! Maple Holistics reached out to me via email and asked if I would be interested in reviewing some products and sharing with you guys. I was a little hesitant at first but decided after looking into the company that I would go ahead. 

Maple Holistics is a company that manufactures and sells all natural products made with only holistic ingredients. They sell these products on their own website, mapleholistics.com and on Amazon. Their products are all manufactured in the US and are cruelty free. Their mission statement, directly from their website:

"Maple Holistics has one goal in mind: to provide a natural, holistic range of premium products which can enhance hygiene, health and daily living."

I started off by using the Dead Sea Mineral Youth Mud Mask after thoroughly cleansing my face. I wasn't too sure about it at first because mud masks usually leave my face feeling very dry afterwards but I went ahead with it. It smells AMAZING, primarily like lavender. I really felt like I was having a spa-like experience as I was applying it to my face. It had a slightly cooling sensation on my skin as it was drying. It dried in about 8-10 minutes, after which I washed it off. My skin felt smooth and soft to the touch after using it. I used the mask 3 or 4 times and each time got the same results. I quite enjoyed my results from the Mineral Youth Mask. The ingredients in the mask are: 

Pure Dead Sea Mud: The Dead Sea in Israel is the most saline body of water in the world, with a mineral concentration of approximately 32% (Ben Gurion University, Dead Sea Resarch Center). Mud from the Dead Sea has a high content level of salts and minerals that are claimed to be essential for the face and body.

German Chamomileb: Known to be nature’s most effective anti-inflammatory, German Chamomile is naturally rejuvenating and helps reduce inflammation. German Chamomile also contains traces of lithium to assist in calming the nerves and reducing stress.

Lavender: This highly popular oil in the world of aromatherapy contributes compounds which work well with the minerals of the mud and helps attain maximum absorption.

Green Myrtle: This valuable asset oil is reputed to be the single most effective essential oil against oily skin. Many skincare products skip over this ingredient due to its high production costs; this formula does not compromise for any cheaper and less effective alternatives.

Clary Sage: The aromatherapy aspect is heightened with the addition of Clary Sage, which helps deliver an herbaceous and relaxing scent while complementing the positive benefits on facial skin.

Biodeynes EMPP: The extracellular matrix of human skin is comprised of collagens and elastic fibers, the latter of which elasticin is a primary component. This beneficial ingredient promotes collagen and elasticin in the skin, for loss of elasticity in the skin causes sagginess and wrinkles.

The second item I received from Maple Holistics was their Vitamin C Anti Aging Serum. Unfortunately, I didn't like the serum as much as I had hoped. I wasn't able to use it as directed (morning and night) because I really disliked the way the serum felt on my skin. I told my husband that it was so dry and plastic-y feeling that I knew how Barbie might describe her own skin. I know that sounds like I'm trying to be funny, but really that's the only way I can describe it. Now, this serum is supposed to be a firming and smoothing mask - however, the product never seemed to actually sink all the way into my skin. Rather, it sat on the top layer of my skin for several hours and it wasn't until the next morning that it finally seemed gone. I suspect that my dislike of the serum is a personal preference issue because my mom tried my sample as well and had a wonderful experience.  The ingredients for this serum are:

Water, Vitamin C (Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate) 10%, Vegetable Glycerin, Hyaluronic Acid, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf, Vitamin E Acetate,Retinyl Palmitate, Algae Extract, Pullulan Xanthum Gum, Hydroxyethylcellulose, CaprylhydroxamicAcid, Glyceryl Caprylate

 Overall, I was very pleased with my interactions with the company and the speed of the shipping for my products. I look forward to trying more products from them to see if the serum was just a matter of personal preference as I suspect it is. I may be hosting a giveaway for some Maple Holistics products here on my blog, so stay tuned for that. If you'd like to see my live review of these products, head over to my Youtube channel!

Have you ever tried anything from Maple Holistics? What is your favorite skincare item?

Thanks for reading!

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