Enchanted Daydream

Today I have a fun, pretty polish to share with you! This is Enchanted Polish Daydream, which was a polish that was available this summer and these swatches have been sitting around for awhile because I've had a lot of other polishes that I've swatched! Hope everyone had a great weekend-- mine was pretty busy, though generally good. Even though my football team lost, womp womp. And my kids were acting like little terrors, hah. Oh well! Daydream is described as a "light aqua blue holographic" and I would say that it looks pretty mint to me, as opposed to aqua, but there definitely is blue in there. I feel like this color is a sweet, wistful feeling to it, and the name really suits it.

Like most Enchanted's, this polish had a great formula. It went on easily and I'm pretty sure I only needed two coats to get perfect, opaque coverage. I love a no-muss, no-fuss formula! Given that I generally am applying my polishes in the evening, after my kids go to bed and we've eaten dinner, I also love when a polish goes on easily and quickly.

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I suppose in the grand scheme of things, Daydream isn't really all that unique these days--but I still find it to be very pretty! And the easy formula and application are always a winning combination in my book. Happy Monday all!

Purple Friday: Zoya Carter

And we're back at Friday again, yay!! We had a really fun time tailgating last week, even though it did not go as planned (we had some issues with our BBQ and the wind). My manicure for last week got a lot of compliments-- people were astounded I did it myself. But this week I wanted to go with something simple and easy (and less time consuming) so I turned to one of my favorite line of polishes-- Zoya Pixie Dusts! Ever since Zoya Carter was released, I knew this would be a great polish for a Purple Friday post and hey, this Friday is as good as any to bust it out! Next week is a bye week so I'll have a few days to work on more manicures for future posts!

Carter is described as a "royal purple with a strong magenta sparkling, matte and textured finish" and this is pretty spot on. Carter boosts a stellar formula and applies easily in two coats, so no issues here. At first it went on pretty sheer with the magenta sparkle and I was a little worried, but two coats was great and the purple filled in. Perfect for rocking on a late September afternoon at a football game! My photo made Carter a little more blue toned than it is in real life, where it has a more red tone.

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And that's it for this week! I think this is a really stunning purple! Probably one of my favorite Pixie Dusts ever-- the color and the sparkle really makes this polish awesome.

Go Dawgs! Beat the Bears!

HPB Presents Autumn Dry Brush Manicure!

Yesterday was actually my wedding anniversary so this was the manicure I was sporting (probably should have posted this yesterday instead of my downer post). But it is the first day of fall today, so that's appropriate, right? I had stumbled across a whole mess of untouched polishes that looked to be a perfect fit for a fall themed manicure. Initially I thought I would use the saran wrap technique to dry and create a manicure with layered fall colors-- similar to a pile of leaves-- but then I decided I wanted to branch out and do something new! So I decided to use a similar but new-to-me technique, the dry brush technique! Thankfully, it's pretty simple-- you wipe most of the polish off the brush and then lightly swipe across your nails, leaving little slashes of color. Sounded good to me!

I started with two coats of Julep Marsala, a rich red brown creme. Then I swiped on Lyn B Designs Whirled Peas, a yellow gold/orange duochrome holographic. Then I took Julep Ryan, a deep teal satin. This was probably a bit of mistake, because the teal is darker color than the gold, but it ended up being a sheer so luckily it worked out in my favor! Then I tried to use Loaded Lacquer Booze & BBQ, a shimmery orange on top, but it ended up being too sheer in just one coat, so it left sparkle behind, but no orange color. I didn't want to try and add another color at that point because I felt it would be overkill and make the finished product too messy.

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There are things I like and don't like about this manicure. Even though the colors looked really beautiful spread out on my table, they turned out a little muted on my nails. I wish they had been just a bit brighter. I was also annoyed that the orange I used turned out to be more sheer than I anticipated-- it added sparkle, but not the color I wanted. Oh well! I do think the dry brush is a really fun technique and I love the rich, brocade look this manicure ended up having even if it wasn't what I envisioned initially! 

Hope you enjoyed my fall themed manicure! I'm really enjoying these monthly manicures as a way to explore my nail art skills and doing something different aside from just swatching! 

An InLinkz Link-up

Illamasqua Optimist

Hey all! Today I have another one of the Illamasqua Rubber Brights to share with you-- this time it's Optimist, which is described as a "warm orange/yellow". Spot on, really. To me, it looks slightly more yellow in the bottle, but has a very strong orange tone. This does dry to the rubber finish, which is a slightly shiny satin finish, instead of a true, flat matte.

I have to be honest, I struggled with this polish. I found it to be streaky and on the thick side. Now, I did apply this during the summer, which was pretty darn hot and I might have had the fan on, which might have contributed to my issues, but I was really frustrated. I felt like I couldn't get it even, despite using a very light touch and thickness made it difficult to spread evenly and avoid leaving streaks in the finish. Argh! I have loved all the other rubber polishes Illasmaqua has made, so it was too bad this didn't work for me. Perhaps if I try again in the future, it will work better! I ended up using three coats here and wasn't completely satisfied-- but I also lacked the energy to try and make it absolutely perfect.

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Unfortunately, with all the other highs I've experienced with Illamasqua polishes so far, I'm a little let down by Optimist. I think the color is fun (though I wish it were more yellow as opposed to yellow-orange [or orange-yellow]-- I feel like this has a very Crayola feel it, haha) but I do wish the formula had been better!

Savina Beach Ball

Ok, I have to sneak in one last bright before summer is officially over, even though it's currently raining in Seattle right now. Today I have Savina Beach Ball, which is a bright neon coral creme. This was another polish I picked up at Nordstrom Rack this summer. To me, this is one of my favorite colors for summer-- coral AND neon. You can never go wrong! It works with everything. Unfortunately, Beach Ball didn't have the best formula. It was a little streaky to apply and even at three coats I wasn't entirely happy with my polish job. Certainly, I think from a distance it wasn't really noticeable, but it still annoyed me. I used three coats here and it does try down to a satiny finish due to the neon pigment. My pictures make it it look extremely bright-- and it is bright in real life, though I think the flash here definitely takes it to an extreme; it's not quite so blinding in real life.

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And with that we bring the summer season to an end! (Booooooooo!) I definitely tend to pull out the brights in the cold winter months but now I'm definitely craving some more autumnal colors as weather has turned towards the cooler side. Are you enjoying fall or is it still summer where you are?

Purple Friday: Purple Gradient

Hey all! It's time for another installment of Purple Friday! Today I have some purple nail art to share with you! This week the Dawgs take on the Aggies of Utah State (what's an Aggie, anyway?), which just happens to be my mother-in-law's alma mater! So as a birthday present my husband and I bought her tickets to the game and are throwing a tailgate to celebrate and both our families are coming up to party. Should be a fun time! I decided that because this was a special occasion, I should do something fun and not just a plain old purple! 

I went out through my purple polish box and pulled out three different shades of purple to use in my gradient. First I decided to use Different Dimension Grus, a light lilac holographic, as my base and then I sponged that, Girly Bits Protect Your Girly Bits, and ILNP Contraband on top of it. I had to go over it a couple of times, but it was pretty easy to apply. I was trying to use Protect Your Girly Bits as a transition shade between Grus and Contraband but I had trouble seeing it. I think it does help, but gets a little lost because Contraband is so dark. 

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I'm not totally in love with my gradient skills-- something I need to work on! And how do people clean this up? I swear I'm incompetent at the actual clean up portion of painting my nails. Once it gets on my cuticles, it's game over-- I can't get it off! But I hope you can overlook that and just look at the pretty purple polishes! 

Go Dawgs! Beat the Aggies!

Rescue Beauty Lounge C'est Tout

Switching gears, today I have a pretty unique (and just plain pretty) polish to share with you: Rescue Beauty Lounge C'est Tout from the Je t'aime! Je t'aime! collection. C'est Tout is described as a "rivalry between gunmetal and green, for sometimes it appears to be dark gray with blue undertones and in another moment, you will see green with micro shimmers of pink, blue, and gold." This is definitely a spot on description-- to me, I tend see more of the green with the multicolor shimmer, but I also see the grey and blue as well.

The formula on this was ok-- decently pigmented, but a little on the thin side, so I think I ended up having to use three coats here. The RBL brush is on the thin side so I always find that even with the more pigmented polishes, I tend to need more polish because of my large nail beds. As a metallic, this does dry on the faster side, but not fast that it's unworkable. Also due to the metallic, this is prone to have brushstrokes if you aren't careful, but they aren't super noticeable in real life.

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Natural light (sun):

Despite the slight brushstrokes you can get when applying this polish, I think the color is very chic and modern-- a nice twist on a non-beige neutral. I think the shimmer really brings it to life and make it more than just a metallic grey. This one is pretty unique to my collection.

Art Deco 635

Ohhhh guys, I have a fun polish to share with you today! Not necessarily because of the finish or the color, but because of how it came to me! We have an au pair who lives with us and takes care of the kids and our current au pair comes from Germany. As part of welcoming her into our family, we did exchange some small gifts-- and her gift to me was a couple of nail polishes from a brand I've never heard of-- Art Deco. This is a German brand (and it may be available elsewhere in Europe) that actually includes other cosmetics aside from nail polish. I thought this was really sweet of her and really appreciate that she brought me these, especially because it's a brand I've never heard of or tried before! Today I have 635 (the polishes are numbered, not named) to share with you. 635 is described by the Art Deco site as "couture watermelon." I'm not really sure what this means-- I guess it's supposed to be a grown up, sophisticated take on the color? I found 635 to be a real chameleon-- it's sort of a pinky red brown if that makes sense. It definitely took on different tones in different lighting situations.

The formula on 635 was excellent. It was nicely pigmented, not too thick or too thin and was exceedingly smooth to apply. I only applied two coats here and you can see it looks great! I wasn't really sure what to expect, so I went in with very low expectations and was very pleasantly surprised!

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Overall I have to say I was impressed with this little polish. It went on really smoothly and wore well. The color, while not necessarily ground breaking, it very pretty and had some interesting tones to it. I also love that it was a gift from our new au pair, who has become part of our family! 

Essence Make Life a Festival

I'll be honest-- I generally ignore Essence releases. They seem to be released fairly sporadically here and are hard to find. However, I stumbled on to an untouched Love & Sound display (inspired by summer music festivals) and because the polishes were all billed as matte textures, I decided to pick them all up. They are also cheap, which helped motivate me. Today I have the first shade from the collection (there are four) that I have worn: Make Life a Festival.

Side note: it drives me batshit that Essence calls them 'desert matt.' Are you kidding me?! I guess that technically, a mat is flat, but matte (with the 'e') is the word the describes a flat color and finish! Argh.

Seriously?! I can't, Essence, I can't.

Anyway, annoyance about their description aside, Make Life a Festival is a peachy shade that is supposed to dry down to a matte, textured finish. I had issues applying this. The formula was a little on the streaky side and I had to apply three coats to even it out-- and I still wasn't completely happy with it. I don't think you can really tell from my pictures, though!

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This polish was a disappointment, honestly. It was slow drying, applied unevenly, and didn't dry to a very textured finish. So frustrating! Now, it was pretty warm when I applied this, which might have contributed to some of my issues. I found it be very slow drying, which was surprising for a textured finish (for example, I applied this in the evening, after my kids went to bed and then went to bed probably 1-2 hours later-- and I woke up with sheet marks. Sadly, I actually liked the way it looked witih the sheet marks more than I liked the actual finish). It also didn't dry nearly as textured as I would have liked-- kind of a weird half texture/half matte that I didn't love. I think the next time I wear one of these polishes I will try to apply thin coats and see if that helps both the dry time and the actual texture finish. So overall I'm not in love this polish but I will try to improve my application with the next one I try in hopes that I get a better result!

Colors by Llarowe Meet Me Over The Rainbow Bridge

Hi all! Hope you have had an enjoyable weekend! Today I have beautiful though somewhat sad themed polish to share with you: Colors by Llarowe Meet Me Over The Rainbow Bridge, which creator Leah Ann made in memory of her dog, Zipper, whom she had recently lost. I'm sure we have all had a beloved pet that we have lost-- our pets become part of our families and it's hard to lose them!

Meet Me Over The Rainbow Bridge is a gorgeous periwinkle purple with a slight blue duochrome and a beautiful rainbow holographic finish (of course). The holo effect is not blinding, but it certainly comes out first and foremost when wearing this. The formula was pretty good, as far as I recall (I wore this back in June) and I think I remember being surprised that the periwinkle base wasn't too sheer. I can't remember if this is two coats or three-- my apologies! I certainly don't recall having any issues and it was easy to apply.

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I think this polish is beautiful and I'm glad Leah Ann was able to channel her grief into something so lovely. It's a sweet way to remember her pet-- and for the rest of us to remember pets we have lost.

Meet Me Over The Rainbow Bridge was a charity polish (proceeds were donated to the ASPCA) and limited edition and unfortunately is not available any longer.

Purple Friday: Girly Bits Protect Your Girly Bits

Onto our second Purple Friday post of the season! We had a really fun time traveling to Boise for the first game of the season, even though we did lose. Boise has a cute downtown area and the food and drinks were good (and cheap!) and we got some rest away from the kids. So aside from the loss, it was an excellent trip. Can't win 'em all, right?

This week we have our home opener and are playing Sacramento State. This game should be a gimme, but you never know these days! This week it's an early game (kickoff at 11am!) so we're doing a mimosa tailgate! Yum! I figured Protect Your Girly Bits was a good polish to start off a home stretch, especially with the name, haha! PYGB is a gorgeous, medium grape purple with a nicely balanced holographic finish. Not too strong and not too subtle; perfect for a morning game on a sunny day! The formula was a breeze-- PYGB partically painted itself on my fingers! I needed two coats. 

Artificial light (flash):

I know Protect Your Girly Bits looks very similar to my polish from last week, Enchanted Polish August 2015 but PYGB is slightly darker and less silverly. I swear! This is so gorgeous and the formula is impeccable. Girly Bits does not disappoint! I can't believe this is only the second time I've used Girly Bits-- a situation that needs to be rectified asap!

Go Dawgs! Beat the Hornets!

Wet N Wild Tree Hugger

Today I have another polish from the Wet N Wild Silver Lake Collection, which was released this spring and featured springy pastels and neutrals. I have shown you other polishes in this collection previously (here and here), so today I bring you Tree Hugger, which is a springy pastel sage green creme. There's just a hint of yellow that keeps it from being too minty green, which gives me lobster hands.

The formula was pretty good-- it's a little on the thick side, but I don't remember having any issues applying it, except to be careful to avoid dragging the polish. I am pretty sure I used two coats here, but unfortunately I don't remember! Sorry!

Artificial light (flash):

This is a really pretty soft green that I found very wearable As someone who tends to love greens on other people, this is a shade that definitely appals to me and I found it flattering and easy to wear. This was a really nice creme, my favorite finish!

Julep Lainey

Usually during the summer, I'm not really into the jewel tones-- I tend to gravitate towards brights and neons during the warm months but at one point I was feeling the need to branch out to something different so I picked up Julep Lainey, which was a part of the July Maven box. Julep describes Lainey as a "summer berry shimmer" and I would add that it is a metallic shimmer, and therefore is a little brushstrokey because of that.

I didn't have any issues applying Lainey. The formula was pretty good, though a little on the thin side-- I used three coats to really get good, deep coverage. Again, despite Julep calling this a shimmer, I would call a metallic shimmer, meaning that you do have to be careful of brushstrokes if you overload your brush (which is what I tend to do, as I have giant nail beds). I didn't find it super obvious in real life, though!

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Lainey definitely fit my needs for a nice jewel tone. Even though it is a little metallic and therefore prone to brush strokes, it was exactly what I was looking for and will make a great transition color for the fall! Such a lovely, glowing color!

Mango Bunny Hand L'Ocean

Ok, confession time: for the longest time I couldn't figure out this name. What did it mean?! And then I said it out loud-- Hand L'Ocean... hand lotion. Hilarious! Apparently I am slow on the uptake these days. This polish is part of Mango Bunny's Sunkissed Neons collection and is inspired by the ocean (and other water sources) that help keep us cool during the hot summer months. Sadly, it looks like those days are on their way out-- but we can still remember summer through polishes like this!

Hand L'Ocean is a bright medium blue that has golden shimmer and a subtle holographic sparkle. The formula was excellent; a little thick but in a good way and it went on smoothly and easily. I think I used two coats here. 

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Gorgeous! I was really impressed with this, as with the other polishes I have tried from Mango Bunny. This is a perfect summer polish-- the golden shimmer really helps elevate it and sets it apart. Even though this collection is billed as neon, I don't think Hand L'Ocean is actually neon, though it  is a bright blue. Regardless, I still think this polish is fantastic and it's definitely a new favorite! This polish is still available, but only for a little bit longer as they are clearing out inventory to make run for new polishes.

Purple Friday: Enchanted Polish August 2015

And here we are at the first Purple Friday of the year! College football season is here, woo! My husband and I have actually traveled to Boise for the first Husky game of the year, which also happens to be tonight! This will be a tough game, made moreso by the fact that our current head coach is the former head coach of Boise State! Those games are always rough. Even with that, we are looking forward to some time away and getting to tailgate and enjoy the game without the kids. A mini-vacation before the reality of fall sets in!

To kick off the season and my Purple Friday posts, and I decided to grab Enchanted Polish August 2015. (It's close enough, right? We're only four days into September.) August 2015 is a gorgeous vibrant, medium violet purple linear holo. I only needed two coats and it went on super smoothly. I love it when polishes practically want to paint themselves on my nails. Enchanted Polish may be on the pricey side for an indie polish brand, but they are worth every penny. This did dry slightly darker on the nail than in the bottle, but it's a stunning purple.

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I think this is a perfect purple to kick off Husky football season! It's my favorite time of the year and I have a lot of awesome purple polishes to share with you!

Go Dawgs! Beat the Broncos!

Sunny's Body Products Exclusive Summer Getaway Seasonal Box

Oh boy, my favorite part of summer! The first seasonal box I got from Sunny's Body Products was the summer box (and I actually think that it was the first one ever released) and to this day it remains my all time favorite box that I have gotten. So when I saw that she was doing another summer box I knew right away that I would be snagging it-- though I've said this about every box I've gotten so far, haha! There were 10 different hand and body care products in this box. A note-- all my scent descriptions are taken directly from Sunny's website, as I could never properly describe these!

Lip Balm-- Coconut: the sweet refreshing scent of coconuts!!

No fooling around with this-- it's straight up coconut. I'm not a big coconut fan, but the scent here is not overwhelming and I actually don't mind it! Plus, it doesn't hang around for a long time.

On the Go-- Palm Island: Home of one of the most romantic and serene vacation spots in the world, Palm Island is an escape from a busy world.begins with a rejuvenating medley of sweet orange blossoms, yuzu, and kumquat; followed by middle notes of juniper, Mediterranean fan palm, and rosemary; and creates complete ecstasy with base notes of fresh sandalwood and Tahitian vanilla bean.

One of my favorite products! The scent on this one is a little heavy when first applied, but settles down quickly. It does linger, which I like. 

Bath Whip-- Capri Olivo: Wisk away to Capri Island; a breath-taking paradise overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. complex aroma of tart Japanese grapefruit, fresh osmanthus (sweet olive), and dew-covered watercress; followed by middle notes of rose, jasmine, and cassis. To create subtle ecstasy, Capri Olivo sits on a dry down of fresh amber and myrrh.

This has a slight, sweet floral scent with just a hint of herbals underneath-- I love it. It smells very refreshing and clean. Definitely one of my favorite scents from the box.

Triple Thick Lotion-- Kulu Bay: Kulu Bay is part of the wonderful Fiji Islands; where lush, virgin rainforests revitalize your well-being. An energetic blend of tamarind, crushed lychee berries, Tahitian Noni juice, and fresh cranberries; followed by the herbal freshness of sun-ripened figs; with base notes of basil and palm leaves.

For some reason, this scent was just ok to me-- it's not bad, but I'm not in love with the blend. It's a pretty light scent, though, so I'll use it. This lotion isn't greasy and sinks into the sink quickly.

Sugar Hand Scrub-- Havana Nights: A sultry and provocative blend reminiscent of a hot summer's night in a beautiful, mysterious land. spicy floral with notes of spiced citrus, fresh water lily, sensual jasmine petals, cedar, patchouli, sandalwood, vanilla, dark musk, and amber.

This scent is so good! I'm a big fan of spicy scents and this is no exception. Love this!

Intensive Cuticle Therapy-- Tibetan Amber: begins with powdery top notes of lotus blossoms, rose, and jasmine, and follows with Oriental notes of amber, musk, patchouli, and French vanilla bean.

OMG, can I live in this scent?! So good! This is a very comforting, powdery scent that I love; clearly I am a big amber lover. This a is a great scent, I love the subtle hint of the vanilla bean at the end and I hope this makes a reappearance in Sunny's store! I would wear this as a perfume. Loooooove this and the clear favorite scent from this box.

Hand Butter-- Volcano: blends tropical fruits and sugared citrus (oranges, lemons, and limes) with violet leaf, sweet Japanese quince, sun ripened cassis, sparkling pomelo, sun weathered driftwood, redolent with lightly exotic mountain greens.

So if I wanted to wear Tibetian Amber as a perfume, I want to drink Volcano. I am a big fan of cirtus scents and this is absolute perfection. It's bright and sparkling and fresh. Also one of my favorites from this box.

Cuticle Oil-- Tahitian Waterfall: sweet jasmine, wild lilies and violets, with the enchanting mist of a cool tropical waterfall.

This is a very nice, light scent. Not overwhelming at well, nor is it too watery. I'm not a huge fan of violets, but this is a nice blend.

Body Balm-- Cocktails By The Pool: Lounging by the pool is even better with this cocktail of summer inspired fresh & fruity scent. Top Notes: sparkling lemon, honeydew, pear. Middle Notes: vibrant orange, pineapple, nectarine. Base Notes: Lily of the Valley, jasmine, sandalwood, and vanilla.

This is a sweeter scent, for sure, but not so sweet as to be overwhelming. I can definitely imagine this fragrance in the air as I lie on a chaise lounge at a tropical resort, sitting by the pool and sipping on some delicious adult beverage. Man, where can I sign up for that?

Miracle Balm-- Weekend in Maui: Imagine a weekend getaway to a tropical island…the fresh fruits, floral blossoms and warm air of this fragrance set the tone for a mini escape. Top Notes: valencia orange, Italian mandarin, cassis, Anjou pear. Middle Notes: star jasmine, plum blossoms, vanilla orchid. Base Notes: sandalwood, golden amber, musk, palm woods.

This is a nice blend, though it leans a little watery for me. It definitely has a very tropical, light air to it. 

Of course, typically me running way late: these boxes are all sold out now. Sorry! I would highly encourage you to check out Sunny's shop and try her products; they're great! I look forward to see what she brings us for the fall and the holidays!

Fairytale Finish Neverending Fairytales July 2015 box

Ok, I'm super late with this, especially because it's already September!! Wait, how did that happen? I feel like it was just July. ANYWAY... let me show you the polishes from the Never Ending Fairytale Box from July, which have sadly been lanquishing in my untrieds pile for a month (I did take these pictures awhile ago, but hadn't gotten around to editing and writing). The theme for this box was birthstones. Let's see what I got!

Crushed Garnet is a dark red jelly base with a variety of sizes of pink glitters. I used three coats here, but the jelly builds up nicely and wasn't too thick. This went on easily and smoothly and I didn't have to dab any of the glitters on. It dries down to a slightly textured finish. 

Macro:

Sweet Sapphire Sky is a metallic blue microglitter with a smattering of larger pink glitters throughout. I assume this is to replicate two of the colors sapphires come in, the main one being blue, but you can also get pink sapphires. Fun fact: my engagement ring contains two Yogo sapphires, a type of sapphire found only in Montana and these were mined from my husband's uncle's claim (he is a gem dealer). And I do know that Amanda's birthday is in September, of which sapphire is the birthstone, so I'm guessing that's why we have a sapphire inspired polish. I did use three coats here, but maybe could have gotten away with two. This went on easily and dried down to a pretty smooth finish.

Macro:

I'm not thrilled with my pictures of Sweet Sapphire Sky-- I feel like it looks bumpy when it fact it was smooth. Sorry about that! This was another winning box from Fairytale Finish and I've enjoyed the polishes I've received to so far.