My Indie Polish - Ian is my Hero (HHC exclusive)

My Indie Polish has created a fun, quirky thermal polish called 'Ian is my Hero' that is exclusive to Hella Handmade Creations and is based on a collection inspired by Shameless.

If you've never watched the show Shameless, you have no idea what you're missing. I love that Tanya also loves this show and we've both chatted a few times about our shared obsession. While Lip is my favourite character, I have a soft spot for Ian also.

Let's take a look.

'Ian is my Hero' is described as a thermal that is yellow when warm to an orange when cooler and a red shimmer with a little touch of holo sparkle. So, My Indie Polish's thermals are by far the most reactive for me. I have yet to wear one she's made that isn't in a constant state of transition on my nails.  SO much so that it makes getting shots difficult because the second I turn off my blowdryer, they immediately turn orange at the tips again.  Now, if you're like me and want your thermals to look like thermals, this is the brand to try. Doesn't it look like a sunset mani?

I used two thin coats of this polish and then added a medium coat for the third layer to get the effect you see in these photos.  It dries to a semi matte finish and I like to gloss it up with a shiny top coat to really get the effect of the gradient.  Again, I am a fan of MIP's formula, so this polish was no different.

'Ian is my Hero' is on sale now from Hella Handmade Creations and will stay available until November 21st at 11:59pm Hawaiian time. This is done in pre-order format, so you can expect a 3-4 week turnaround time. It retails for $13USD and is capped at 75 bottles.

Will you be grabbing this polish? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Inspired Sense - Central Canada Box

Inspired Sense - Central Canada Box

Hey everyone! Remember a couple months ago I shared with you swatches and a review for Inspired Sense's East Coast Box set? Well, Trish is back again with the next instalment of this series based on the provinces of central Canada - Quebec, Ontario, and Manitoba. It includes three polish and three maple sugar based body care products and I couldn't be more excited. First up I will show the polishes.

Fall In Love With Quebec

Fall In Love With Quebec is a maple lead red jelly holo.  Quebec is known for its stunning maple trees that turn a gorgeous colour of red in the fall and this polish really captures that. It's a great red and the jelly makes it squishy and lets the holo really sparkle.

I used two coats to get the coverage you see here.  Since it is a jelly polish, I recommend waiting a couple minutes between coats to prevent dragging.  I really love Trish's jelly holos and they wear forever on me.  I got five days with this one before I changed it (out of want and not necessity).

Tour-On-Tario

Tour-On-Tario is described as a colour shifting chameleon that shifts between purple to pink to orange.  The base of the polish is a purple translucent jelly and that allows the shifting pigment to shine through.  I could get the pink to orange to clearly show, especially in lower lighting settings.

I used three coats and to the visible eye, my nail edge was barely noticeable. The camera really picks up the nail line though.  It's another jelly finish, so I again recommend allowing a few minutes between coats.  I also tried this polish as a topper over a mint green creme polish and absolutely LOVED those results. Shown below is a nail wheel of that combination.

Polar Bear Capital

Polar Bear Capital is a beige metallic polish with gold shimmer. It is based on the fur of polar bears that famously spend their time in Churchill, Manitoba.  This is a polish that won't be everyone's taste but I am a lover of champagne-hues so I thought it has a touch of class if you're looking for something along those lines.  My mom loved this colour and said it was a throw back to when she first started wearing polish.  I would agree that it's very nostalgic.

I used three thin coats of Polar Bear Capital. I found that I had to be careful not to get brushstrokes, so I 'floated' the polish on the last coat and that helped. It dries quickly and slightly matte.

Along with these three polish, the box includes three body care products - a maple sugar scrub, a maple lip balm, and a maple lip scrub.

I have been screaming Inspired Sense's praises from the rooftops ever since I found the oils and hand products.  These have become three more products to yell about. I especially LOVE the lip scrub (though I do admit to licking it all off before it ever gets to actually do what it's supposed to) and I adore that Trish uses products that can literally be ingested without issues. Two thumbs up for the lip balm as well (blogger tip - I also use it as a swatching balm because it's not super oily in photos).

The Canadian Box Set - Central Canada is available now from Inspired Sense for $40 and free shipping starts at $45.

I love this whole collection. Which would be your top choice?

My Indie Polish - Seven Year Switch

Hey, hey everyone!

I know that things have been quieter again lately but I am hoping to get back into the swing of things again. After an insanely busy summer that included moving and an emergency surgery (both of which wreaked havoc on my nails), I feel like I am beginning to settle into my new job and have enough time to devote to some blogging interests again.

And boy, oh boy, am I back with a doozy of a polish to show you all today.

My Indie Polish - Seven Year Switch

Some of you may know that I have a Facebook group for thermal nail polish lovers called Holy Shift. Every now and again, polishes are created and offered specifically for members of this group. When Tanya of My Indie Polish contacted me about a thermal flakie with a very strong multichrome shifting shimmer, I was intrigued to see it.  The results are fabulous.

Seven Year Switch is a deep forest green to white thermal base with colour shifting flakes and a strong purple to green shifting duochrome shimmer.  It sounds complex and it is.  This is a stunning polish and I literally gasped out loud when I put it on for the first time.  The thermal shift is a strong one, and then combined with the shifting shimmer it becomes one of those really special polishes.

I half expected the warm state to be almost translucent on my nails but with a few coats I didn't have much visible nail line.

I used three thin coats of Seven Year Switch for the opacity that you see here. It applied easily and the formula smoothed onto the nail without any issues. It is a really reactive thermal, so it shifted between cold to warm and into transition throughout the day.  Excellent formula with a stunning result.

Seven Year Switch will be available tomorrow, October 1st at 9am EDT.  It will be priced at $16CAD plus shipping.  This polish is in VERY limited supply. As in, only 20 bottles will be available kind of limited. Once it's gone, that's it. There won't be more, so I recommend you jump on this one if you want a bottle.

Will you be grabbing this beauty?

My Indie Polish 

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Fiendish Fancies - Broken Mirror, Broken Minds (September 2018 Polish Pickup)

Hey all!

I made it before the weekend is over and the window for Polish Pickup is closed for another month.  And that would have been tragic because this month (Scary Movies) was MADE for my favourite Canadian brand - Fiendish Fancies.

Broken Mirror, Broken Minds

When PPU announced that this month was going to be based on makers' favourite scary movies, I couldn't wait to see what Lara would come up with.  EVERY release she does is based on the darker side of pop media, so I knew I wouldn't be disappointed.  And I wasn't.

Broken Mirror, Broken Minds is described as a cool iris blue-purple with flakes of gold, yellow, and blue. There was a very subtle sparkle of holo in this one when outside in the sunlight. It was based off of the movie Suspiria, which I have not seen, but now have added to my list. If I have learned anything from being a Fiendish Fancies customer over the years, it is that Lara doesn't take her inspirations lightly and you can bet that the polish is well thought out and each element is reflected in the movie.

The formula of Broken Mirror, Broken Minds is top notch. Things have been busier than normal around here and I swatched this polish and didn't get around to photographing it. So I wore it for an entire five days without as much as tip wear. I changed my polish and then a day later, I swatched this one again.  This time, I took photographs but I was lazy to change it so I ended up wearing it again and AGAIN it lasted for another five days.  Fiendish is one of those brands that just wear really well on me.  I used three thin coats for coverage you see here though I believe regular wear (read: not under a photographer's bright lights) would be just fine for two.

Broken Mirror, Broken Minds is available NOW and is not to be missed! It can be found at Polish Pickup for $11.50 and it is capped at 100 bottles.  If you've been on the fence about trying this brand, this is a great introduction!

Polish Pickup

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Top Shelf Lacquer - Shark Attack (September 2018 Polish Pickup)

Hey everyone! 

Summer is winding down and the only good thing about that for me is that we're going to see more and more fall colours for nail polish pop up.  I am so excited for September's Polish Pickup offerings, which will all be based on makers' favourite scary movies.  If you're wondering what Polish Pickup is, I have a bunch of posts you can reference that better explains the concept (here, here, here, and here).

Today, I am showing off the swatches for my favourite brand's polish which is based on the movie, Jaws. There's a ton going on in this polish depending on the light so this post is photo heavy!

Shark Attack

Duuun dun duuun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun.......

Shark Attack is described as a blurple base colour with linear holo finish; red, blue and colour shifting flakes; and a glass fleck shifting shimmer that shifts from turquoise to purple.

For me, the purple to turquoise was what I could see most easily and the photos don't quite translate just how linear this holo is. I went out for dinner under low lighting and couldn't stop staring at just how linear it is.  In natural light, there is a pink flash that becomes really apparent. 

Like every Top Shelf Lacquer I have owned, this polish applied beautifully and without issues.  The first coat is sheer but it built up on the second coat. I did three coats to ensure there was no visible nail line in photographs but it wouldn't be necessary in real life.  

Above photos are taken outside in natural light with cloud cover. This light really goes to show how complex this polish is.  I am so impressed by the direction Amy took with this polish. For a polish inspired by Jaws, one would expect a grey or even green. I love how the blood red flakes in the deep purple and ocean blue really captures the mystery of the movie.

Shark Attack will be available from Polish Pickup from Friday, September 7th until Monday, September 10th. 

Did this blurple linear holo flakie make YOUR wishlist?

Polish Pickup

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