Polish Review: Frozen Water Designs

Hello there, Witchie-Poos!!! I hope the last night of summer is treating you well! I’m sitting here, writing this up and watching Dancing with the Stars. I had some computer issues earlier this week, so that’s why I wasn’t able to get any of my reviews up until now. I tried downloading an older version of the Sims and evidently my computer doesn’t have enough RAM to run it and all the other programs I have to use. So something had to give… Sims went down the Recycle Bin!

Anywho! I have three gorgeous polishes from Frozen Water Designs here for your viewing pleasure. But first… Lets get to know a little about the creative genius behind these beauties!

GW: What are your favorite sources for inspiration?

FWD: What isn't, might be the easier question! so far, I've had inspiration from video games, music, TV shows and movies, and comic books. and fan suggestions! Can't forget those.

GW: Where does your creativity stem from to allow you to come up with an array of colors and possibilities?

FWD: I figure if I can visualize it, I can make it. It's been working for me so far.

GW: What do you love about making polish?

FWD: I love that I can look at something, distill it into it's base colours, create it, and then have people look at it and go 'I know exactly what you were going for!'; and I also love that people enjoy wearing these things that came from my wild, random brain.

GW: If someone copies one of your polishes, is that flattering or insulting?

FWD: No one has done it yet, so...it would probably be flattering, but weird. My ideas come from a lot of cool places though, and if the creators of my inspirations ever saw my work, I would hope they'd be flattered, so let's go with I'd be flattered too :)

GW: What made you start making polish?

FWD: I'm super picky about nail polishes. I got pretty tired of thinking I'd enjoy a polish for a long time, but then being dissatisfied after one or two wears. Now I can make exactly what I want. Also, as with many of my crafts, I was advised I would be good at it...so I went for it!

GW: What are some of the new polish trends going around that you like and what are some that you cannot stand?

FWD: I don't generally follow industry trends, so i can't really speak to this a whole lot. If instagram tells me anything though, it's that the fashionista set are getting back into those incredibly long nails, and those kind of make me crazy. I like practical nails, even if the art on them is wild as can be. that's not really polish related though, is it?

GW: Do you have anything awesome in the works for your customers?

FWD:  I'm sure I do, but it's all locked up in my brain until the next bit of glitter bomb crazy sauce strikes...

GW: Lastly, what type of base coat do you use or suggest? As well as top coat?

FWD: My current preferred base coat (when I remember to use it) is Julep’s oxygen smoothing base coat. It's supposedly good for your nails, and it makes everything look nice. I only really use a top coat when doing actual nail art pieces (on myself, haha), so I don't really have a specific one to recommend.

 

Now on to the beauties!!!

Diamond Dogs, listed as “a sheer and shimmery white polish, made with a hint of glitter and almond oil (to help nourish your nails).” Will bring you either to the Moulin Rouge or a “foggy” divey joint where you might have found David Bowie crooning in the 80s. Either way, you won’t be disappointed!

This beautiful, super sheer shimmer does take a bit to reach opacity. I think I have three coats shown here and it’s still kinda sheer. But I love the ethereal look to it! Dry time is nil, and it really does feel awesome on the nail!

As beautiful and haunting as the man it inspired, Madman is listed as “a little bit of purple, a little bit of deep blue, and all the sparkle of the stars. oh, and a bit of nourishing marula oil, as well.” It is a truly stunning jelly polish that could have multiple uses in the nail world.

It builds up wonderfully for a sparse jelly sammich, but still looks gorgeous with all the shimmer and shine of the glitter.

And lastly, I have one of the two polishes that makes up the Crema Collection. This is Espresso, a beautiful coffee/copper colored holo beauty. Its duo mate, Cream unfortunately had a bit of a disaster in transit.

But honestly. Espresso is a STUNNER. It really, really got me wanting everything fall-color related. I need all the falls!!

With every polish that I’ve reviewed, dry time is nil on Espresso as well. They’re not overly stinky like a lot of them are anymore. They apply seamlessly and beautiful.

At $10 a bottle, it is in the mid-range of my Indie Designer list and you won’t be disappointed. Make sure to check out her Etsy store!

 

Polish Review: Glitzkrieg War Paint Fall Frolic Collection

Hey there, Witchie-Poos! I hope everyone is enjoying this, the evening of the last day of summer! Tonight I have for you six of the seven polishes in Glitzkrieg War Paint’s Fall Frolic Collection!

I will say right now, I absolutely adore pretty much any jewel-themed polish collection. They’re indicative of the fall months where everything is so beautiful and fresh.

Autumn Twigs is first up. Listed as a holographic cream with big, brown hex glitters.

It doesn’t seem like much in the bottle, but once you put it on the nail it just screams beautiful.

Two coats of Autumn Twigs and it reaches full opacity. It’s a gorgeous brown holo, which amazes me. I’m not one for brown polishes, but Autumn Twigs hits a heart string. I love the sparkle!

It dries super fast and to a mirror finish.

Next up is Pine Needles… Listed as a dark green jelly with hunter green glitter and teal matte hex glitter.

Isn’t it gorgeous?

It goes on like a dream, like most jellies do. I applied two coats and then covered with a topcoat.

I’m not much of a fan of greens, but I really, really like this one. It’s like the emerald city met the wicked witch and this is what they produced. I can totally see this becoming a part of my halloween costume!

Next up is Leaf Pile… It’s a sleeper, that’s for sure. It’s a brown jelly with small bronze hex glitters and larger transparent hex glitters. They look awesome, which really surprised me.

This polish quickly became one of my favorites in the collection.

I love how it shimmers and shines. This is two coats on all but the middle finger, which is three.

Isn’t it gorgeous? I can see it becoming one of my favorite fall polishes. Only problem I see, is that the one I was sent does not match the polish with the same name in the store. Not real sure what’s up with that .

Next up is Gourds Galore. I LOVE this polish. Gourds Galore is listed as “a bright orange jelly with big, orange holographic dot glitter and tiny holographic rust-colored glitter.” and it doesn’t fail to impress.

It translates onto the nail awesomely and in two coats I love the opacity it creates.

And it’s so darned pretty!!!!!!

Next up is Hayride. Listed as “a bright gold jelly with gold flakes, gold holographic glitter and bright yellow matte hex glitter.” I love how this one shimmers and shines. It’s like a little pot of gold on your fingers.

Two coats and you reach a pretty decent opacity for a jelly polish. Three would have made it too heavy.

But it really does shimmer and shine!

Last but not least is my favorite… Wine By the Bonfire is listed as “a dark purple jelly with a selection of holographic and metallic purple glitters.”

My bottle shot doesn’t do this polish justice. Seriously.

It goes on wonderfully in two coats. Three again would have been too chunky. The hexes don’t always translate well, but that’s ok. I love the vampiness of this polish. It screams to me!

Heh. Now I got them to translate well. Ugh. But still. Goodness, it’s pretty isn’t it?!

All in all, these beauties from Glitzkrieg are AWESOME. The opacity is easy to reach, the dry time is minimal and the formulas are awesome. All except for the Leaf Pile problem on her Etsy store, they’re more than worth the money spent for them!

You can find these and other polishes (including Hardy Mum, which is the seventh polish in the collection) in her Etsy shop. At $8.50 a bottle, it’s a steal!

Nail Art Tutorial: Fall Leaves

The last in the Fall series, I bring you Fall Leaves! This tutorial is super simple and quick to do!

Supplies Needed: A base coat, I used Strawberry Ice Cream Soma by Literary Lacquer because… Well… It’s freaking awesome. You’ll need at least three colors for you leaves. I used Am I Ginger? by LynBDesigns, Wicked by Perception Nail Lacquer and Lake of Shining Waters by Literary Lacquer. You’ll also need a black or brown acrylic paint, a nail art brush, a dotting tool and a pallet.

Step One: After you apply your basecoat, let it dry completely. On your pallet, add a bit of black and water it down a tad so it glides on smoothly.

Step Two: With a gentle hand, draw on your branches. They don’t have to be perfect, no stick or twig is .

Do the same on all nails until you have all your “twigs”

Step three: With your dotting tool, begin putting the “leaves” on the twigs. Do them sparingly with each color because with three colors, it will eventually become a lot of leaves. Repeat until you’ve used the three colors, or you have an abundance of leaves.

Once you’re finished, apply the topcoat of our choice and you’re done!

This is a quick, cute and simple fall mani! If you do one of my manis, please post it to my Facebook page!

Nail Art Tutorial: Burberry Inspired Nails

I LOVE Burberry scarves. I don’t own one, but I covet them. Like the outfit that the gal in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days got for her dog and the scarves for them? LOVE. I dunno why, but I really like the pattern and color scheme.

So when I think of fall and plaid, the first thing I think of is the Burberry pattern, and I decided to do a Burberry design inspired by it. Didn’t quite turn out the way I wanted them to, but that’s usually the way it is LOL.

Supplies: You’ll need four different polishes. You’ll need a good black- I used Zoya Raven, my go-to. A red- OPI’s Moscow Red. A white- Zoya Purity and a tan color. I don’t suggest Orly’s Decades of Dysfunction (I think that’s the one, I put the nail polish up) as it’s not tan enough, it’s more nude and you need a more tan polish. But this one will work in a pinch. You’ll also need a nail art brush and a pallet.

Step One: Apply at least two coats of your base polish and let it dry completely.

Step Two: With your striping brush or nail art brush, put two vertical white lines on the left side of the nail. When you’re done with that, put two more horizontal lines crossing the vertical lines at the top.

Like that!

Step Three: Using the black with your nail art brush, put a black line between the first two white lines, then a line on either side.

Do the same with the horizontal lines.

When you’re doing this, use a light hand on the lines so they’re not as thick. I need to practice on my lines, for sure.

Step Four: With the red, place a line to the right of all the other lines (this is where I’m saying a lighter hand would be better so it’s not so jumbled.) and one at the very bottom of the nail.

Like this. Add your topcoat and you’re done. I really should have done thinner lines. This mani kinda sucks. Ugh.