Indie Maker Spotlight - The Worse Games to Play Collection by Polish TBH

Today I am beyond thrilled to be sharing the Polish TBH fall collection and an interview with Christian, the brains and beauty behind this operation, with you! When Christian first started posting photos of the Hunger Games inspired Worse Games to Play collection, I was immediately enamored with the entire thing. I am a total Hunger Games fangirl, and these polishes connected with the series in a way that other collections have fallen short. I was so excited when Christian reached out to me to review the collection, and even more so when she agreed to answer some questions about the brand and this new release. Read on for lots of pictures and a peek into what goes into this labor of love!

Polishes provided for review.

Dainty Digits Polish Swatch & Review

Tonight I have swatches of some polishes by Dainty Digits Polish, a new-to-me indie brand. After a hiatus, Anetress has recently reopened her shop, to the joy of polish addicts everywhere. I was so excited when she reached out to me to review some of her products and promote the store's reopening. I was surprised by the variety that she sent me, and impressed that she has developed the ability to create so many different types of polish so very well!

Polishes provided for review.

Daphine Polish - His Dark Materials Collection, part 2

Hi, everyone! Today I have the second half of the His Dark Materials collection by Daphine Polish. As with part one, I'm including Joanne's descriptions of how these polishes connect to the books, with text written by her denoted with underlined text.

(PS...If you haven't seen part one, check it out here!)

Polish provided for review.

Cloud Pine is a taupe-light brown shimmery crelly with blue, green, and purple iridescent glitters. Photos show two flawless coats with topcoat. I love the cool, subtle shimmer in this one. It's a very unique color in my collection.

This polish is inspired by Serafina Pekkala, the queen of the witch clan. Cloud pine is a type of magical tree used by witches to fly. Once the lover of gyptian Farder Coram, Serafina Pekkala allies her clan with the gyptians on their mission to rescue the children from Bolvangar. She rescues Lyra and Roger from the fight at Bolvangar and carries them to safety in Lee Scoresby’s balloon.

“Up! Into midair Lyra and Roger were caught and swept, and found themselves clinging with weakening fingers to a cloud-pine branch, where a young witch was sitting tense with balanced grace…” 

The Golden Compass

Dust is a soft yellow-gold shimmer crelly with a subtle scattered holographic effect. Photos show two coats with top coat. As with the other lighter crellies in this collection, I was very impressed by the formula, and surprised that third coat was not required to achieve full opacity.

Dust is a metaphysical particle invisible to the human eye. Many of the adult characters in His Dark Materials have spent their lives researching and chasing Dust, trying to learn more about this mysterious particle, whether it be to harness its power or destroy it.

“‘What is this Dust?’

‘It comes from the sky. Some say it has always been there, some say it is newly falling. What is certain is that when people become aware of it, a great fear comes over them, and they’ll stop at nothing to discover what it is.’”

The Golden Compass

The holographic shimmer is somewhat more evident in this macro, but it was even more pronounced in real life. 

Texas Aeronaut is a red-leaning orange with strong gold micro-flakie shimmer. Photos show two thin coats with top coat. This polish was probably the biggest surprise for me in the collection; it didn't immediately grab me in the bottle, but it is truly gorgeous on the nail. I can honestly say I don't have another color anything like this in my collection, from the lovely peachy shade to the strong shimmer. 

Texas Aeronaut is inspired by Lee Scoresby, a new Dane from the country of Texas hired by the gyptians to rescue the children kidnapped by the Gobblers. He becomes fiercely loyal to Lyra, continuing in her cause even after they are separated on Svalbard.

“[Lyra] looked at this newcomer with surprise. He was a tall, lean man with a thin black moustache and narrow blue eyes, and a perpetual expression of distant and sardonic amusement. She felt strongly about him at once, but she wasn’t sure whether it was liking she felt, or dislike. His dæmon was a shabby hare as thin and tough-looking as he was.”

The Golden Compass

Knife Bearer is a blackened olive green jelly with strong red shimmer and a touch of scattered holographic effect. Photos show two thin coats with topcoat. The green tint in the base was camera shy, but much more apparent in person. Formula was excellent.

This polish is inspired by Will Parry. He is first introduced in the second book of the trilogy, The Subtle Knife, a quiet and serious twelve year old boy who has learned over the years how to make himself unnoticeable in order to take care of his mentally ill mother. He discovers a window into another world, Cittàgazze’s world, and there meets Lyra and becomes the bearer of the subtle knife.

“‘Now,’ said Giacomo Paradisi, ‘here you are, take the knife, it is yours.’

‘I don’t want it,’ said Will. ‘I don’t want anything to do with it.’

‘You haven’t got the choice,’ said the old man. ‘You are the bearer now.’”

The Subtle Knife

Final Thoughts

Despite not knowing this trilogy, I really love this entire collection, and I imagine it would be even more special for someone who has the same passion for this series as Joanne! My top picks are definitely Citagazze, Gyptian Longboat, and Texas Aeronaut. All of these polishes had a great formula. Many of them we sheer after one coat, but built to surprisingly full coverage with a second. Also, on a somewhat unrelated note, the mini bottles from Daphine Polish have full-sized brush handles, making application a breeze! I often end up avoiding minis due to the difficulty of application with a tiny little brush, which also means I'm able to sample fewer colors from a lot of collections. I love that the brushes are full sized in these minis! Overall, I would highly recommend this collection, and am glad to have had the opportunity to try out this indie line.

This collection will be available in the Daphine Polish Etsy shop this Friday, June 6th. Be sure to check out Daphine Polish at the links below for details and updates, and don't forget to take a look at the other four polishes in the collection reviewed in part 1.

Etsy | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

Daphine Polish - His Dark Materials collection, part 1

Hi, everyone! Today I am very, very excited to be sharing the first half of the His Dark Materials collection by Daphine Polish with you! This collection of eight polishes is inspired by a trilogy by Philip Pullman that includes The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. I think this collection has some really gorgeous polishes that will appeal to fans and strangers of the trilogy alike.

Admittedly, I am not familiar with this series, but I go absolutely nuts for literary-inspired collections, (anyone remember my "BUY ALL THE HUNGER GAMES POLISH" days?) and Joanne of Daphine Polish was kind enough to send me an amazingly detailed write up of the collection, inspiration for each polish, and quotes from the books to accompany them, so I will be borrowing heavily from her summary. I also watched the movie version of the first book, but won't even pretend that this makes me an expert on the series!

In the words of Joanne: "To quickly summarize these books, they tell the coming-of-age adventures of Lyra Belacqua, an ordinary orphan from Oxford who turns out to be the most important person in not just her universe, but in all universes. This collection mainly draws on The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife for inspiration." For reference, I have denoted all text written by Joanne in underlined text.

Now, on to the swatches!

Polishes provided for review.

NOTD: Love, Angeline - Carry On

I wasn't planning on blogging about this mani, but as soon as I started taking pictures of it, I realized I would have to just for the opportunity to share more than one! As you may know, many indie makers have begun collaborating to produce monthly boxes that allow polish addicts to sample multiple lines in one order. One such collab is the "Pipe Down This Love is Bliss" box that includes polishes from Pipedream, Love, Angeline, and Bliss. The offerings are ALWAYS tempting, but this month I couldn't resist, largely because of the polish I'm wearing today. Obviously, it had to be the first one once my box came!

Love, Angeline - Carry On is a cool-toned gray crelly polish with gold hued iridescent shimmer and flakies. Photos show two thin coats topped with HK Girl Topcoat. This polish immediately caught my eye when I first saw swatches, and I'm happy to report it's just as stunning in person. The gold shimmer is so pretty and subtle, I know these photos don't even really come close to capturing it adequately. But I tried!

Part of why I was so excited to order this box was because I have never tried polishes from any of the indie makers, including Polish My Life, who had a guest spot in this box. I'm really excited to try the others and share them with you all!

Polish Pusher - South of the Bordeaux & Vincent

Holy guacamole! This evening I have an incredible new polish to share with you, and up-and-coming indie maker that you absolutely must have on your radar. I won a fabulous flash giveaway hosted by the Polish Pusher, aka Kati, who encouraged her followers to post and selfie and say something they loved about themselves. I was lucky enough to get a little self-esteem boost AND the opportunity to choose a polish from her soon to open Etsy shop. I picked South of the Bordeaux...

A yummy, wine toned jelly packed with a variety of warm toned glitters. But Kati didn't stop there--she was kind of enough to throw in a mini of Vincent, another upcoming polish in her line. OH. EM. GEE. This woman most certainly has a way with holo!

Vincent is a gorgeous kelly green linear holo with scattered larger holo glitters. It's on the sheer side, but builds beautifully. These photos show three thin coats topped with HK Girl Topcoat. Application and formula are even and easy to apply, and the polish dries to a semi-matte finish on its own.

Isn't it amazing? I loved it in the bottle, but was unprepared for what showstopper this would be on the nail. I have a few green holos in my collection, and this one is totally unique in comparison to the others. Also, in her note when she sent my prizes, Kati mentioned that this polish is part of a duo inspired by her grandparents and their beautiful relationship. Such a touching, personal thing to share with her customers, and I am so eager to see the other half!

Be sure to wipe the drool off of your keyboard before heading straight to Polish Pusher's Instagram so you can be prepared for when these beauties become available!

Show Stopper

There's a good bit of of controversy surrounding red polishes: too standard, difficult to match to skin tones, staining issues. I personally love reds and pinks; they're classics, reminiscent of the time when nail art and unexpected colors were totally unacceptable. Not that I'm about to put away my nail art brushes, glitters, or beloved blue polishes anytime soon, but there's something so satisfying about a solid red. Today I have a red polish to share that I believe could turn a lot of anti-red polish lovers: Show Stopper by Smokey Mountain Lacquers.

Polish provided for review.

Show Stopper is a warm toned red metallic polish with scattered holo shimmer throughout. Photos show two thin coats with top coat.

I absolutely adore this polish! Formula was great, and the polish applied and spread evenly. As with any metallic polish, there were some visible brush strokes, but applying thin coats and smoothing them out with the brush kept that to a minimum.

Just look at that holo sparkle! Subtle enough for everyday wear, but still unique and--true to its name--a real show stopper!

Show Stopper will be released soon, so be sure to follow Smokey Mountain Lacquers on Instagram for updates. You can shop her current collections online here or here!

Glow Glow Purple!

Hi everyone! I apologize for my hiatus, but I needed to take a small break from blogging to devote my time to school for finals and the end of the semester. Now that it's over, I have a whole month to make up for lost time!

Today I have another gorgeous polish from Smokey Mountain Lacquers to share with you!

Polish provided for review.

Glow Glow Purple is a sheer purple polish with slightly shimmery undertones. This photo shows two thing layers with top coat. Application was easy and very even. The polish dried with a bit of fine, grainy texture, which smoothed out easily with one coat of top coat.

And it glows!! This was my first time trying to capture glowing polish. I think it need some practice :-/ I took this after holding my hand near a lit bulb for about 45 seconds. The glow stayed charged for the entire 5 minutes I tried to get a decent photo!

I LOVE jelly polishes, and this one is no exception! This photo shows how versatile they can be. I prefer the "squishy" see through of 1-2 coats, but as you can see it's totally opaque in three. Adding a fourth coat adds some depth an richness.

Here I've topped Glow Glow Purple with one dabbed coat of Lumina Lacuqer - Moon Child.

And here's the best part about jelly polishes-- jelly sammiches!! Here I've topped the glitter in the photo above with one more thin coat of Glow Glow Purple and OPI Matte top coat. Squishy perfection!

Follow Smokey Mountain Lacquers on Instagram, and you can shop her polishes online here or here!

Mrs. P's Nail Potions

I'm very excited to share some of Mrs. P's Nail Potions today! When I reached out to Bree about doing some swatching for her extensive line of indie polishes, I told her to surprise me with colors that she either really wanted to see swatched, or that hadn't been chosen by other bloggers. I figured I was in good hands based on the amazing range of colors and polishes on her site...and I was right!

Polishes bought at a promotional price in exchange for review.

First up is I Guaranteal it, which was one of my favorites when I first browsed the site!

This polish is an electric, slightly duochromey, metallic teal. Photo shows two coats without top coat.

I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with metallic polishes; I always love them in the bottle, but hate when it's impossible to avoid visible brush strokes. I found it very easy to achieve even, opaque coverage without lots of strokes, making this one a win-win. 

Next is Falling Deeply, a rich coppery metallic with cool toned shimmer (blue/green mostly) throughout. Photo shows two coats without top coat.

What a fabulous and unique combination of colors! It really does bring to mind the shades of the season, and I love the hidden cool duochrome in this warm color. This is one I definitely see being used a lot for simple manis and nail art alike.

Last one is Blurred Limes, a vibrant green metallic. Again, I found it easy to apply without visible brush strokes. Photo shows two coats without top coat.

Usually I'm not a huge fan of green polishes that don't have blue undertones, but I really love how this one looks, and oddly thought it complimented my skin tone really well. (Greens usually make me look so red!)

Mrs. P makes a spectraflair top coat, and lot of the polishes on her site are shown with some holo goodness on top. So, I was tempted to try it out!

I LOVE this combination. I used the spectraflair top coat by Polished by Kpt.

All of these polishes exceeded expectations when it comes to formula, pigmentation, and originality. Also, I found the dry time to be notably shorter than I've experienced with other indie/3-free polishes. Usually I just slap some Seche Vite on top to speed the process, but I wanted to photograph these without since they have such a glossy finish on their own!

These three polishes are currently available along with many others on Bree's Etsy shop, and you can follow her on Instagram for information about promotions and upcoming releases!

Nail Honey Fall/Winter 2013

Good morning, everyone! Today I have swatches of some truly beautiful Nail Honey polishes to share with you! As I've said before, Nail Honey was one of the first indie brands I tried, and I've come to really appreciate the solid formula, unique pigmentation, and the friendship of their creator, Bee.

Polishes in this blog post were purchased at a promotional rate for review.

First up is Gray Sky Mourning, a stunning gray with scattered shimmer throughout. Photos show three thin coats topped with Seche Vite.

The polish base is on the creme side of crelly, so unfortunately, hex glitters from the first layer of polish end up being pretty hidden. But I do love the holo shards that peek through, they add a really nice depth to the overall look.

Here is Indigo Go Girl, a fabulously rich deep blue polish with silver shimmer. Photos show two coats without topcoat.

The amount of shimmer in this one is perfect, and adds a nice dimension to the brightness of the blue. I also love the super glossy finish!

Next one is Smooth Operator, THE perfect fall teal. Also has a subtle silver shimmer, not quite as pronounced as in Indigo Go Girl, giving it a more flat creme look. I love this one for a simple office mani that is still unique with a pop of color! Photo shows two thin coats topped with Seche Vite, but with careful application you could definitely get away with just one coat.

Last one is Double Cup Love, a bright magenta with silvery/holo shimmer. The shimmer is much more evident in this one, and paired with the metallic-y base, it almost looks like a scattered holo. This is a super sexy color, perfect for a hot date or a night out with the girls. Photo is two coats, no top coat.

Also, if you've been paying attention throughout this post, you've seen my amazing shrinking nails! These swatches were done over the course of about two weeks where my nails have been suffering an identity crisis. I haven't really had major breaks, but I honestly have no idea what to do about my nail shape, and I keep just taking off more and more. Looking at these photos, though, I really miss the longer length seen in Gray Sky Mourning and Indigo Go Girl! What's a nail girl to do?!

Follow @nailhoney on Instagram for availability, promotions, and other fun stuff!