KBShimmer Summer 2015 Collection: Select Swatches

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Hello Loves!  KBShimmer has done it again, and this time on an epic scale!  Twenty-Eight new polishes in the 2015 Summer Collection are launching today.  Yes, you read that right!  28!  Today!  They are broken down into three sets:  Summer Collection Part 1, Summer Collection Part 2 and The Flakes.  I have three from each set to show you today, and I'm going to be completely honest here...they are amazing.  But I'm also kind of glad I only have three from each.  I have a feeling that 57 photo post would crash my blog.  You know, 'cause I'm all about keeping collections together and I like to show two photos of each polish plus a cover photo...

Ok, ok, I hear you.  Stop rambling and show us the goods!  So here we go.  I'm going to start with The Flakes.  The Flakes consist of 6 jewel toned, shifty polishes and four silvers with flakes in various sizes.  They can be layered over a base color or worn on their own in two to three coats.  I chose three of the jewel toned flakes.

Moody Hues is a gorgeous blue to purple shifter.  She also has some copper tones at just the right angle, but I failed to capture that in my photos.  This is two coats without a base color.  I found that that these apply best when kind of dabbed onto the nail since they are very dense with flakes.

Look On The Nightside is my favorite of the three I chose.  One quick look at my swatches will show you why.  She shifts from purple to teal to blue.  Yep, there I go with those teals and blues again.  I also found this one to have the strongest shift of the three, though they are all quite stunning.  This is two dabbed on coats without a base color.

This shot is a little blurry, but it captured the shift better than any of the others I took in this pose.

Finally, Pros and Bronze shifts from a golden hue to bronze with hints of red.  I was a little iffy about this one when I picked it since it isn't my usual choice of colors, but I really love it!  Again, this is two dabbed on coats without a base color. 

Moving on...Summer Collection Part 1 consists of 7 bleached neon creams and two holographic glitter top coats.  I chose three of the neon creams to show you.  Let me tell you, it was a tough decision!  Be sure to click through and check out the other colors in this set.  Seriously, do it.

I have to admit, I struggled with the application on these at first.  Neons and pastels are super tricky for me (not to mention polish itself is tricky since I'm so used to the way gel polish behaves).  I emailed Christy for a few pointers and it made all the difference in the world!  So I'm going to share what Christy shared with me.  Float the first coat of polish onto the nail.  It will be streaky.  Don't let the brush drag or touch the nail.  Then float the second coat the same way.  Add a third to even out any streaks if you have them.  :) 

The first color I have to show you is Sarong Place, Sarong Time.  This is a red toned purple neon.  I adore this shade so much!  It is bright and lovely but not so bright that it freaks out on my pale skin.  This is three coats, but if you are better than I am at applying lacquer, you can likely get perfect coverage with two coats.

Oh look, I chose a blue.  I know you're shocked.  ;)  In Yacht Water is a bright, pastel, sky blue cream.  This one did freak my skin out a little, but it will be perfect when I pick up a little color this summer.  I swatched two coats below.

Finally, Rum Me The Right Way is an awesome bright yellow.  I want to call it a sunshine yellow because it reminds me of the yellow crayon I always used as a kid.  But whatever you call it, this baby is BRIGHT!  It dries much brighter than it appears in the bottle, which surprised me a little. :)

Summer Collection Part 2 consists of glitter, sparkle and holo!  This one is what I would consider a standard KBShimmer collection - it has something for everyone.  Of course, I gravitated toward the holos, but I'm going to share the press release photo to give you an idea of the other offerings.  I have swatched the bottom three in this photo for you today.  :)

You might recognize What Are You Wading For? from a previous post.  This gorgeous blue holo grabbed me as soon as I pulled it out of the box, and I had to wear it right away.  This is two easy coats.  The holo shows best in the second photo.

Alloy Matey! is an awesome, microfine silver holographic glitter.  It makes a beautiful topper in one thin coat but builds to full coverage in two coats.  I see myself using this one a lot!  I swatched two coats below.  The holo is scattered and is quite strong. 

Finally, We Be Jammin' is a purple polish that is so packed with action I'm having trouble describing it.  It starts with a red toned purple base.  Then pile on the blue toned purple shimmer.  Then finish with a scattered holographic shimmer.  And my brain is fried.  There's just so much going on in this bottle that adds up to an amazing polish.  Love, love, love it!

Seriously, y'all, be sure to head over to KBShimmer's website and check out the other shades in this release.  I know I gush over KBShimmer a lot...way more than one might expect a gel polish blogger to gush over lacquer, but these really are just amazing.  Christy and her team pour their hearts and souls into every bottle.  And the formula is fantastic.  Let me tell just just how fantastic - we use OPI at school and I can't polish with it to save my life.  But hand me a bottle of KBShimmer and it's like I've been working with lacquer for years.  Even the neons that gave my inexperienced hand a little trouble are easier to apply for me than the OPI.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing OPI...KBShimmer is just that good.  :)


~Michelle.

*The polishes featured in this post were provided by KBShimmer for my honest review.  All links are courtesy links and do not benefit ManicTalons.com

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KBShimmer Men Are From Mars-ala (Pantone Color of the Year)

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Hello Loves!  I'm sure most of you have heard that Pantone named Marsala as the color of the year for 2015.  I don't know about you, but I'm just not thrilled with the color.  To me, it screams boring...and it reminds me of colors my Grandmother used to wear.  Not quite red, not quite brown, not quite mauve.  Just Blah.  It might be ok as a lipstick color, but I wasn't excited about the polish choices that we would be seeing this year.  That is, until KBShimmer showed us the newly released Men Are From Mars-ala.  She is proof positive that holo can make any color gorgeous.  ;)

I seriously love this polish.  So much so that I've worn it three times already.  No joke, three times and I've only had it for a few weeks!  The base is most definitely a match for Pantone 18-1483 aka Marsala.  But the holo gives it so much dimension I could just squeal!

Of course, I couldn't stop with just one photo.  Hello beautiful holo!  Have I mentioned how much I love holographic polishes?  Or how well KBShimmer has mastered holographic creations?

Men Are From Mars-ala isn't just a gorgeous take on the Pantone color of the year for 2015.  It's also a dream to apply.  This is two coats over clear sculpted gel nails.  It is perfectly opaque in two coats!

You know I couldn't resist adding a little stamping, right?  I mean, this is the third time I've worn it in less than 15 days.

Gah!  Look at that gorgeous holographic effect!  Even the black stamping doesn't slow it down.  The stamp does darken the color a bit, but the rainbow is strong as ever.

Ok, ok...the details.  The stamping polish is Mundo de Unas black and the image is from Cici&Sisi 12 from Cici & Sisi Set 2 .  Wanna see it a little closer?  Of course you do!

What do you think of Marsala as the Pantone color of the year?  If you aren't a fan of Marsala, does KBShimmer's Men Are From Mars-ala change your mind?

Where can you get your own bottle of this gorgeous holographic polish inspired by the 2015 Pantone color of the year?  Well, you can get it from KBShimmer.com.  Or you if you have an Amazon gift card to spend (or just like shopping on Amazon), you can pick up a bottle of Men are From Mars-ala on Amazon too!  KBShimmer has a ton of gorgeous polishes listed on Amazon.  :)   For my international readers, I've got you covered too.  You can get your bottle of Men Are From Mars-ala from Harlow & Co.  :)

~Michelle

*Men Are From Mars-ala was provided by KBShimmer for my honest review.  This post uses Amazon Affiliate links.  Purchases through those links generate commissions that help fund this site.  All other links are courtesy links and do not benefit manictalons.com.

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Girly Bits Cosmetics - Select Swatches

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Hello Loves.  I have a few more Girly Bits Cosmetics swatches to show you today.  There's not much rhyme or reason to the selection.  They just jumped out at me.  :)

This first polish is from the recent What Really Happened In Vegas Collection.  Accidental PPV is described as a silver holographic polish, accented with glowy blue shimmer and a subtle turquoise flash.  None of which I managed to capture in my photos.  The holographic effect is subtle and I see more of the blue shimmer in person.  This polish applies nicely, but you definitely want to allow each coat to dry completely before applying another to avoid drag.  I swatched three coats below.

Too Hot For Pants is also from the What Really Happened In Vegas Collection.  This one is described as a fuchsia-red jelly, loaded with red and fuchsia shimmer and holo micro glitter.  It is certainly loaded!  This is a perfect, two coat polish with amazing depth.

Seriously Sassy is a blogger collaboration shade with Sassy Shelly that is simply amazing!  This purple jelly base is loaded with a blue to purple shifting glitter.  The result is an incredible, blurple polish that simply must be seen in person.  I swatched three coats below.  If you decide you need this beauty, don't let the first coat fool you.  That first coat is blotchy and crazy uneven, but it builds for perfect coverage.

This next polish is part of the Fall 2013 Collection, and is quite gorgeous.  Bird Is The Word is a magenta purple holo shimmer.  I found the holographic effect to be subtle in this one but the color is gorgeous.  The formula is excellent.  I swatched three coats below.

Finally, What The Deuce? is also part of the Fall 2013 Collection.  This one is described as a kelly green holo shimmer.  The holographic effect is subtle in this polish as well.  The color, however, is a beautiful bright green.  Formula is also perfect.  I swatched two coats below.

What do you think of these shades?  I think Seriously Sassy might be my favorite with What The Deuce? coming in second.  :)

~Michelle

*The polishes featured in this post were provided by Girly Bits Cosmetics for my honest review.

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KBShimmer Fall 2014 Collection - Select Swatches

Press Sample

Hello Loves!  I have some gorgeous polishes to show you today from the upcoming KBShimmer Fall 2014 release.  These will be available for purchase on September 15th, 2014.  Needless to say, KBShimmer nailed it yet again!  These shades are simply gorgeous.  Wanna see them?

First up is A Raisin to Live.  Described as a "deep burgundy, blackened Ox-Blood colored polish full of holographic sparkles," it really is what I would describe as a Raisin shade.  And when they say "full of sparkles," that's no joke!  Application was a breeze and I found it covered nicely in 2-3 coats.  I swatched three here, but you could easily get by with two if your regular polish application is more up to speed than mine.  ;)  You may notice the thin spot near the cuticle on my ring finger.  That is completely my fault and not a fault of the polish.  It applies smoothly.  I simply suck at getting a clean line with RNP and tried to correct it after the polish had started to set.  That's also why I applied the third coat.

 

Leaf of Faith is the PERFECT fall polish!  The red jelly base is packed with red, orange and gold glitters plus a scattering of holographic glitter.  I found this one needs three coats to be completely opaque, but if you have a less stubborn nail line, you could easily get away with two.  I also found it to be packed with glitter - no fishing needed after a standard shake.

 

Up and Cunning was the trickiest shade of the five to photograph, but in my opinion may be the most gorgeous shade in the collection.  You know how I love my teals and my holos.  Best of both worlds here!  This linear holographic polish is a deep teal that leans green.  You can see the true shade in the shadows on the swatches below.  The holographic fire ranges from green to blue.  It's positively stunning!  Like the other KBShimmer holos in my collection, I found application on Up and Cunning to be flawless.  This one is perfect in two coats.

 

Stonewashed is an incredible dusty, medium navy cream.  Of all my gels and RNPs, I don't have anything like it!  What's more, I found this one to almost be a one coater.  It will be perfect for using with nail vinyls or tape.  I swatched two coats below.  :)

 

Finally...this one excites me the most...Jack is back!  Jack is a stunning black jelly base full of orange hexes and micro slices and black hexes and shreds.  Originally released in 2012, Jack is back for a limited time so grab it while you can!  This one is a must have for Halloween.

 

And you know with a name like Jack, I just couldn't resist a little The Nightmare Before Christmas nail art.  You're welcome.  lol  The head shot of Jack and my feeble attempt at Zero are done in acrylic paint. 

Now that you've seen them, here's when and where you can get them!  They'll be available at www.KBShimmer.com on September 15th and are priced at $8.75 each.  International readers, check out www.harlowandco.org for your KBShimmer fix.

Oh, and be sure to check out KBShimmer on Facebook and Instagram to see swatches of the other 4 polishes in this release.  :)

~Michelle

*The polishes featured in this post were provided by KBShimmer Bath and Body for my honest review.

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