Polish Review: Guilty Pleasures Polish

Today I have a review and Q & A with Gwen of Guilty Pleasures Polish, she’s a true gem to get to know, so I hope y’all have as much fun as I have!

The Good Witch: What are your favorite sources for inspiration?
Gwen: Anything I see really .. I LOVE nature and all the colors that go along with it. My inspiration usually comes from some form of that. Whether that be flowers, grass, smells, feelings specific to me, holiday goodies, the sky, animals ... you name it!

The Good Witch: Where does your creativity stem from to allow you to come up with an array of colors and possibilities?
Gwen: I've always been on the creative side. I've always looked at something as "what could that be" instead of what it is. Most of my collection colors are, oddly enough, what I "feel" that word or phrases color should be. Example .. to me spring has always felt like pink and pale yellow. Why? I can't explain lol that's just how my mind works!

The Good Witch: What do you love about making polish?
Gwen: I love the endless possibilities. There are so many mediums to work with that the chances of having 2 makes with identical formulas and colors is near impossible. I love the idea of that.

The Good Witch: What made you start making polish?
Gwen: I began making polish because I had been searching for a few specific colors and just could not find what my mind's eye was seeing. So I decided I'd make it myself because then I knew I would get the color I wanted/needed.

The Good Witch: If someone copies one of your polishes, is that flattering or insulting?
Gwen: Flattering in my opinion! I'm always looking to make a polish better so if someone ended up taking my color and improving on it that would be fantastic! At least they liked it! Right?!

The Good Witch: What are some of the new polish trends going around that you like and what are some that you cannot stand?
Gwen: In my area right now many women are doing the reverse french tip. They leave the entire nail plain and just paint the tip. To me this looks unfinished but to each their own! I cannot stand the chunky 3d nail art! It makes my fingers hurt just looking at it! But again, as long as I don't have to wear it .. have at it!

The Good Witch: Do you have anything awesome in the works for your customers?
Gwen: I DO!!!!!!! I have over 40 EXTREME chameleon colors coming out over the next year! I'm VERY excited to unveil them! I will be releasing them a few at a time after they are done in the testing process. I also have a super duper secret polish up my sleeve! A TRUE "mood ring" polish! It will change exactly like a mood ring! I am stoked to show everyone that one!!! Fingers crossed it'll be ready in April!

The Good Witch: What type of base coat do you use or suggest? As well as top coat?
Gwen: I always use ORLY bonder followed by ORLY tough cookie .. then the color ... topped with Seche Vite or glisten and glow HK Girl top coats. The base and top coats must be THIN THIN THIN coats! So many people have problems with the top coats I mentioned and mostly because the coats are too thick. Also everyone has different body chemistry so all polish will work differently with YOUR body and each individual polish. It's best to test many and see what works best for you. So many factors determine what will work best at any given time.

 

Alrighty! Time for the review!

First up is Calm Before the Storm, a gorgeous smoky grey crème.

It doesn’t look like much in the bottle, but trust me… It translates well onto the nail.

It is semi-transparent, all but the middle finger have three coats and it’s still kind of see through. I wore this polish to my test/meeting with my boss and wore it over grey undies and it was spectacular.

No undies, without flash

Over grey undies, with flash

Under black undies, with flash.

I like it better under grey lol

It does go on a little streaky, as with most shimmery cremes. I can live with that though, as the depth of the polish is what I really fell in love with. Dry time is almost non-existent.

Next up is Good Morning, Glories (which I love just for the name… I always greet my kids after school saying “What’s the story, morning glory?” yeah… That’s so an Oasis song…) Anyways! It’s a shimmery blue crème, along the same lines as Calm Before the Storm.

It is a real light blue shade, almost robins egg blue only a little more subdued.

Again, it is pretty sheer, so you have to build up the opacity. I used three coats and I liked the outcome.

You still have a little VNL (visible nail line) but nothing horrible, and it’s not a deal breaker. You probably could add four coats, since dry time is low, and no VNL will show.

Next up I have Morning Dew, a beautiful shimmery white/silver polish.

It does beautifully by itself, showing relatively opaque at two coats. Three would have been perfect. It also wears really well over a darker undie.

So pretty!!!

One coat over undies! Still fantastic!

Last but not least, this gorgeous stunner and my favorite of the polishes Gwen sent me, The Witching Hour. Can you tell why I love the name? Lol

I love looking at this big blue jelly polish full of blue holo glitters. It’s like a little drop of blue sunshine in my life. I reaaaaally love blue polishes. Can you tell?

It’s so freaking pretty!!!!

This is my current mani! Three coats of The Witching Hour on all but the ring finger makes for a beautiful jelly sandwich.

Gah I really love this polish! It’s so multifaceted and shiny. And blue. And pretty. And witchy. And if it were sunny, I’d take an even better picture but I can’t. Because it’s cloudy. But it’s sparkly. Oooo shiny!

You can find Gwen’s polishes at her Guilty Pleasures Polish Etsy Page. She has some BEAUTIFUL creations (including Holy Grail and Knights of Templar holos… Which… I am totally going to have to get Holy Grail… WHITE HOLO?! Say WHAT?!) for a pretty good price. Just $7 for full size, that’s a pretty great deal when you look at getting beautiful polishes! Don’t forget to show some love on her Facebook page as well!