Emerald & Ash Photometry Collection

Guys, I'm super excited about today's post. I have a soft spot for this particular brand because, spoiler alert, Ashley is awesome and I'm lucky to consider her a friend. That said, our friendship does not influence my review, I just genuinely like her products.

The Photometry collection from Emerald & Ash is something that has been in the works for a long time and after extensive testing and tweaking (which is the norm for E&A) Ashley and Nate were ready to release it. It was worth the wait because, man, the results are stunning. Oh, did I mention that Emerald & Ash is a husband/wife team? One thing that is so great about this brand is that they are able to combine Nate's passion for physics and science with Ashley's passion for polish and come up with some truly unique and inspired collections; this one is no different. Here is the collection description directly from Ashley.

The Photometry Collection has actually been in the works since we created our line over a year ago. It was always our intention to bring Nate’s job into the mix as it is such a huge part of who he is and what he loves. In case you’re wondering what that job is and why he’d be drawn to this type of thing, he is a Quantum Physics major and is currently a teacher of core physics at a university. A lot of his studies have included light and optics, so we took that and created polishes based on the colors that different light phenomenon create. The thing that ties these polishes together is that they are filled with glass flakes and a touch of holo. We wanted them to dance and change in whatever light source they are seen in.

The Photometry collection consists of five gorgeous polishes that are full of shimmer and flakes. They are simple and yet so lovely in their simplicity - the perfect balm for those suffering from glitter fatigue.

One note about my particular batch - when I was swatching these I noticed that the brushes were slightly bent or curved. It didn't affect the application of the polish but it was something I mentioned to Ashley. She wasn't sure what the issue was but offered to send new brushes to replace these ones. Ashley has always put customer service first and she stands behind her products. I checked the brushes again tonight and they are starting to self-correct. Ashley thinks it's possible that the coating that is on the brushes to prevent fraying hadn't been completely dissolved by the chemicals in the polish. Either way, she appreciated the feedback and I ALWAYS appreciate top-notch customer service.

Now, on to the polish. With all five I used one coat of CND Stickey base coat and one coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri top coat.

* All descriptions come directly from Ashley.
 
Aurora
A charming softened green shimmer with pops of red and green micro flakies and a slight touch of holo. Full coverage at 2-3 coats depending on your application.

Shown here is three coats. This green is perfect for spring.

Cherenkov Radiation
A brilliant bright blue jelly with aqua undertones and shimmer that is filled with glass flakes and a slight touch of holo. Full coverage at 2-3 coats depending on your application.

Shown here is three coats. This polish is STUNNING in person. Like I could not stop staring at my fingers.

Mie Scattering
A pure white crelly with white shimmer that is filled with micro flakies and a slight touch of holo. Can be worn alone with coverage in 3 coats or layered over a white base.

Shown here, starting with the index finger: index - one coat white (Revlon Spirited) and two coats Mie Scattering; middle and ring - four coats Mie Scattering; pinkie - two coats white and one coat Mie Scattering. As most white polish tends to be this is fairly sheer, but I think I prefer it with four coats on its own - I found that layering it over white took away from the flakes.

Sodium FASOR
A yellow-orange shimmering stunner with copper flashes and a surprise red color shift once on the nail. It is filled with micro flakies and a slight touch of holo. Full coverage at 2-3 coats depending on your application.

Shown here is two coats. I'm a fan of orange polish when it's well done and this one definitely is.

Spark Gap
A lovely lighter, yet vivid, purple crelly with violet flashes and a lot of shimmer that is filled with micro flakies and a slight touch of holo. Full coverage at 2-3 coats depending on your application.

Shown here is three coats. I had a hard time capturing how pretty this is. Just trust me, it's lovely in person.

They're great, right? I'm sure you picked up on it, but my favourite is definitely Cherenkov Radiation (I always want to type CherNEkov). I think it's one of the most brilliant and gorgeous blues I've ever seen.

Later this week I'll have another Emerald & Ash post - the Happy Primary Circumgyration collection!

Emerald & Ash

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Pahlish February 2014 EXTERMINAAATE! Duo : The Primary Order & The Crucible

TGIF! I could not be more ready for this week to be over! The kid has pink eye and everyone in our house is tired and cranky. Bring on the weekend!

Today I have the February 2014 EXTERMINAAAATE! duo from Pahlish to show you. Shannon has been hitting it out of the park with these combos and I love the monthly duo idea.

Oh! I received my new light tent on Wednesday so I had to test it out with this duo. Here is a comparison picture. My old method was a DIY cardboard box light box - what do you think of the difference? The diffused light of the tent definitely helps for better bottle shots - there's a lot less glare - and I think my skin tone is more accurate as well. Both of these photos were pre-edit.

On to the polish!

The Primary Order is a gray crelly with dark gray and bronze flakes. The formula on this one was good and I was able to get away with two thicker coats for these swatches. I also used one coat of HK Girl quick dry top coat.

The Crucible has a clear base that is packed with a variety of metallic glitter - there's gold, bronze and silver that I can see. Because this sucker is so jam-packed with glitter it is on the thick side which meant that I had to dab the coat on. That method worked really well and I was able to get an even coverage of glitter. Shown here is one dabbed coat of The Crucible and one coat of HK Girl.

Keep an eye on the blog next week - I will be sharing Emerald & Ash's new collections along with a polish that is super exciting and personal for me! Have a great weekend!

Pahlish

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Colors by Llarowe Good Golly Miss Molly LE

One year ago today my grandma passed away. My family is quite close and she was our rock; always taking care of (and feeding) others before herself. I take after her in so many ways and I miss her every day.



My grandparents

I chose to share Colors by Llarowe Good Golly Miss Molly LE with you today because, for some reason, I recall my grandma calling me Miss Molly. Is it a real memory? Not sure. Does it make me think of her with fondness? Yep.

Good Golly Miss Molly LE (I know, another one?! Sorry.) is a deep magenta that is packed with crazy holo. The formula on this was good - not too thick and nicely pigmented - and I was able to use two coats for fully opacity. This polish is super pretty and I think my grandma would have loved it.

On a different note... don't you hate daylight savings? It's never been my favourite thing but now that I have a kid it's a completely different beast. She doesn't want to go to sleep because she thinks it's an hour earlier and she doesn't want to wake up because SHE THINKS IT'S AN HOUR EARLIER. *le sigh* ;)

Colors by Llarowe

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Eat. Sleep. Polish. April Showers, Bring May Flowers collection

WARNING: This post is pic heavy. Enjoy!

Soooo.... spring is coming soon, yes? Because I am DONE with winter (as are most North Americans I would imagine). This winter has been miserable - cold and snowy and windy and blech. As a Canadian (and proud prairie girl) you'd think I'd be used to winter. But, nope, I'm a spring and autumn fan which is why I'm excited to see all the new spring collections being released. Today I'm extra excited to be able to share the April Showers, Bring May Flowers collection from Eat. Sleep. Polish. which will be released on Saturday, March 15th!

This collection consists of five different polishes and what makes this collection unique is that it really represents the typical Canadian spring. We don't get the bright skies and tulips and pastel colours (well, the West Coast does) that are usually associated with spring. We get dirt and gravel and mud and more snow, but there's always the promise of new life and flower buds poking up through the soil.

I also must admit that I have a soft spot for this collection because I helped to name one of the colours. Caterina sent me a sample to test out and I loved it so much she asked if I wanted to name it. Ummm, yes, please! I had a couple of ideas swirling around so, once I found out the name and inspiration for the collection, I polled some of my best polish friends and submitted the winner to Cat. Thankfully she liked it and Raspberry Mud Pie was born. :) Let's start with that one, shall we?

**All polish descriptions come directly from Caterina.**

I used one coat of CND Stickey base coat, two coats of polish (thicker coats in the case of Grasshoppa), and one coat of Glisten & Glow HK Girl for all five. All five flowed well and I had no trouble working with them. The glitter distribution for Grasshoppa and Sidewalk Strider was even and consistent with no pooling or pulling. This was an all around great collection!

Raspberry Mud Pie

A cocoa coloured polish filled within beautiful raspberry shimmer, that truly glows from within. 2-3 coats recommended. This polish was actually named by the wonderful blogger Courtney over at http://www.swatcherpolishranger.com/ . The name is perfect as this is exactly how I envision this polish! Lets face it spring is muddy. However with soil and dirt come plants & flowers. There is always good to be found if you look hard enough ;)

 

 

Perfect Storm

A shimmery olive toned polish with a splash of scattered holo as well. 2-3 coats recommended. Spring is not spring without storms, and as the saying goes April Showers, Bring May Flowers ;) This polish represents the calmness and serenity that even a storm can bring.

Endless Sky

A shimmery blue with a delicate violet undertone and a splash of scattered holo, 2-3 coats recommended. What would an ending winter be without a beautiful blue cloud free sky? This polish helps us to embrace the days to come where the sky is pure and endless.

 

 

 

Grasshoppa

 

A light and airy green jelly filled with micro flakes, shimmer, pink & white glitter of various shapes and sizes. This is semi-sheer but can be layered, or worn over a base in a similar colour. Topcoat recommended to achieve a smooth finish. The inspiration behind this polish is itty bitty baby grasshoppers that start showing up in the fresh baby grass.

 

 

 

Sidewalk Strider

 

A funky cement looking polish. 2-3 coats recommended. This grey based polish is jam packed with black, white, pink & glitter and scattered with tiny blue sparkles. A delicate amount of holographic particles make this a unique and fun polish to wear. The inspiration behind this polish is going for walks in the early days of spring, where bits and pieces of winter 'junk' can be seen hiding in the melting snow.

 

** Wear time note: I have had Sidewalk Strider on for 4 days now, and aside from a bit of tip wear, there are no chips. I only used one coat of HK Girl and it's fairly smooth but if you want a glassy finish, 2 coats would serve you well.

 

 

So, are you looking forward to spring? Is there one polish from this collection that you HAVE TO HAVE? How about all of them? ;) I love Raspberry Mud Pie, of course, and Endless Sky is a stunning blue. A surprise favourite for me was Sidewalk Strider - it's just so unique and has the perfect putty base colour. The April Showers, Bring May Flowers collection will be available on March 15th at Eat. Sleep. Polish.

 

Eat. Sleep. Polish.

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a-england Sleeping Palace

Happy Monday! Did you watch the Oscars last night? My favourite moments were John Travolta introducing Idina Menzel as Adele Dazeem and Cate Blanchett yelling, "the world is round, people!" Gold!

Today I have a gorgeous polish that topped many a "best of 2013" list and for good reason. a-england Sleeping Palace is part of the Burne-Jones Dream collection and is a gorgeous prune colour that is packed with holo sparkle. As with all a-england polish, the pigmentation and formula were both top notch and this was a one coater! a-england is easily one of my favourite brands, especially for the dark, dreamy holos - love this one so much! Shown here is one coat of CND Stickey base coat, one coat of Sleeping Palace and one coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri top coat.

 

Are you still in the vampy zone or leaning more toward Spring colours?

 

a-england

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