Tag: nail polish swatches

My Top 10 Shimmer, Flaky, Reflective, and Holo Nail Polish Launches from 2023

by liftbakeloveLeave a Comment on My Top 10 Shimmer, Flaky, Reflective, and Holo Nail Polish Launches from 2023

I happened to have a bunch of clear press on nails lying around, so I decided to do swatches of my favorite nail polish launches from this year (shimmers, flakies, reflectives and holos specifically). If you want to see my top 10 magnetics, cremes, toppers, multichromes, jellies, or some other category – let me know! I store my nail polish by finish and am just realizing I missed a ton so please leave a comment if you want to see more! I definitely bought way too much nail polish this year and would be happy to do more swatches (and even comparisons) if that would be helpful. I’m planning on doing a nail polish no-buy in 2024 so I’ll be doing more posts to get to know my collection better. Some of these links are affiliate links, but most are not. And as always, thank you so much for being here, and it would mean so much to me if you subscribe hereĀ for new posts!

Holo Taco Private Villa is a very red leaning pink jelly that has a ton of shimmer that primarily leans gold and reflective pink glitter in it. It’s so much prettier in person than what I captured in the picture above. It reminds me a ton of Holo Taco Party Punch but is so much easier to apply and remove because it’s not a chunky glitter but still is super sparkly because of all the shimmer and glitter in it. The formula is super smooth for how sparkly it is, and I got full coverage in two coats. If you have longer nails, you’ll probably need a third because of the jellly formula.

KB Shimmer Any Way You Slice It is a bright orange shimmer that also has gold, copper, and yellow tones in it. It’s beautiful in the summer and fall, and one of my favorite oranges this year. I’m honestly not big into orange one me, but somehow this one works, and looks so beautiful in the sun. This polish is a little sheer, and I find I need 3 coats, but I don’t mind because it just looks so beautiful on. You can use affiliate code LIFTBAKELOVE for 10% off this polish at Beyond Polish.

Mooncat Tyrannosaurus Hex is my favorite green of the year regardless of finish. It’s a green polish packed with multichrome flakies and reflective glitter that dries matte. I wanted to show what it looks like under flash because it’s wild how it lights up with the reflective glitters. This is also beautiful with a glossy top coat, but I do really love it matte. This formula is super smooth despite how jam packed it is, and I got full coverage in two coats.

Holo Taco Never Tide Down is the perfect summer polish (as well as the one I’ll talk about next). It’s a turquoise jelly polish filled with iridescent flakes, holographic glitter, and crushed holo. My favorite color is teal so I’m a little biased, but I just love how much this looks like the ocean if the ocean was incredibly fun and sparkly. There’s so much going on in this polish, but it still manages to have such a smooth and easy to use formula. I get full one coat coverage with this polish, but you might need two if you have longer nails.

ILNP Blowing Bubbles is the most holographic polish I own – it blew me away with how holo it is. It’s described as a sky-blue ultra holo nail polish, but because of my undertones (and also the lighting) it leans a little teal on me. That said, regardless of which way it leans on you, it’s beautiful, especially in the sun. I ended up buying a few more ILNP ultra holos because I loved this so much. I get one coat coverage with this, and I’m not even sure you’d need a second coat if you had longer nails.

KB Shimmer Ripped Apart is a deep blue filled with reflective glitter that looks amazing in every light. It’s been my favorite nail polish to wear this winter, and I loved using it under snowflake stamps at the start of the season. I think if I had to choose my favorite 3 from this list, this would definitely be one of them (but I’m biased because I’ve been wearing it so much this December). It’s a bit on the thicker side because of all the glitter, but I find it’s still easy to work with. I get two coat coverage with this, and I feel like that’d be the case for most nail lengths. I would recommend added a glitter smoother before your top coat. You can use affiliate code LIFTBAKELOVE for 10% off this polish at Beyond Polish.

Mooncat Midnight Rider is a midnight blue multichrome polish that shifts between black and blue and is filled with micro holographic glitter. It’s basically a midnight sky on your nails because of the micro holographic glitter, and the blue shimmer makes it even better because it basically glows. I can get full coverage with two coats (and it’s super smooth), but I also recently tried this over a coat of black polish, and it looked great, so that’s probably how I’ll wear this polish from now on so I can get my mani done in just two coats.

Cirque Colors x Kelli Marissa Venetian Sky is cool toned purpled “Shimmergraphic” that has a super intense pink shimmer and scatter holographic sparkle. The shimmer is so strong but somehow doesn’t drown out the holo, and I’m so excited to wear this one in the spring and summer to see it in the sun. I prefer wearing this one in 3 coats so I can really build up the depth in the purple base and the shimmer, but I’m confident you could get away with two on most nail lengths. You can use affiliate code LIFTBAKELOVE for 10% off this polish at Beyond Polish.

ILNP Fairy Dust was my favorite polish in the spring this year. It’s a violet jelly base with intense orange shimmer and scattered holographic sparkle. It looks amazing in the sun but also in low light. I also using this as a topper – I swear it looks good in one coat over almost anything. It’s a bit sheer, so it takes at least 3 coats, but I don’t mind for how beautiful it is. If you’re not into that, I recommend using it over a light purple creme for a faster mani.

Mooncat Gates of Hell is the deep red/purple version of Midnight Rider, so of course I also love it. It’s a red to black multichrome with a really strong shimmer and micro holographic shimmer. It’s absolutely stunning, and just like Midnight Rider, I tried this over a coat of black polish, and it looked fantastic. Otherwise, I can get full coverage in two coats, and the formula is super smooth.

Let me know if thereā€™s anything else youā€™d like to see here on LiftBakeLove, and thanks for reading! As always, some links may be affiliate links that support the blog, but all reviews/opinions are completely my own and unsponsored.

Matching Manis and Lipsticks for fall featuring Finding Ferdinand’s new collections

by liftbakelove1 Comment on Matching Manis and Lipsticks for fall featuring Finding Ferdinand’s new collections

If youā€™re a regular here, youā€™ll know how much I love my Finding Ferdinand products and the company, so I was super excited for their fall collections. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to showcase one of my favorite things to do – match my manicure to my lipstick! Like all my reviews, everything written is my completely unbiased opinion, and I would definitely be talking about these without being an affiliate. This post was not sponsored, but these were gifted to me.

First up, the Cabernet Collection, which features three sheer lipsticks with the flavor Cabernet Crush. The flavor is super bright and fruity but not in a fruit candy kind of way. It’s more a sophisticated grape flavor that really does pair well with these shades. Like all Finding Ferdinand lipstick flavors, it lasts just long enough without lingering in an annoying way.

Finding Ferdinand Sip Happens and Starrily Oxytocin

Sip Happens, which is my favorite of the collection, is a bright reddish berry that is now my go-to “red.” Because of the sheer quality of the lipstick, this is one of the only red toned lipsticks I can actually wear. It also has enough brown in it to work for me since my natural lips tend to make everything quite pink. I paired Sip Happens with Starrily Oxytocin, which is a dark red holo polish and perfectly matches the vibe of this lipstick.

Finding Ferdinand Grapeful and Holo Taco Purple Slushie

Grapeful is a cool purple shade that reminds me of Finesse but darker. I’ll be honest that this shade doesn’t look great on me on its own, but it’s a great mixer shade to cool another lipstick down without making it lighter. And because it’s a sheer formula, it mixes super well into other lipstick formulas. I paired it with Holo Taco Purple Slushie, which is a vibrant royal purple linear holo from their original rainbow collection. I love their linear holo formula, and this was such a great excuse to use the original rainbow colors again.

Finding Ferdinand On Cloud Nine and ILNP Dash of Cocoa

On Cloud Wine is a super deep red berry shade that is now the darkest lipstick I own. I’m so glad to have it in my collection to add some depth under my lighter glosses (I have a lot of pale glosses that make me look dead, but not on top of this lipstick!). It’s a bit intense for me on its own (like Grapeful) but so useful to have especially now that we’re in the colder months. I paired it with one of my new favorite nail polishes, ILNP Dash of Cocoa. This polish is a deep brown holo polish with a red-to-gold shift. It’s incredibly complex with a ton of depth and so perfect both for fall and with this lipstick shade. I’m still wearing now as I write this, and I can’t get over how beautiful it is.

The second collection is the Pumpkin Spice Collection, which also includes three sheer lipsticks but with the flavor Pumpkin Spice. The flavor is smells exactly like pumpkin pie to me in the best way possible. I’m not even a huge fan of pumpkin scents (I’m much more of an apple person), but I really love this one.

Finding Ferdinand Pumpkin Spice Latte and Holo Taco Orange Drink

Pumpkin Spice Latte is a warm orangey brown that is the exact opposite of Grapeful. I use it similarly as a mixer shade to add warmth to my cool-toned lipsticks and under cool-toned glosses. It’s much less bright than my other orange mixer shade, and I really appreciate having both. I paired it with Holo Taco Orange Drink, which is a vibrant, bright orange linear holo also from their original rainbow collection. As I mentioned above, I love their linear holo formula and loved wearing this color again.

Finding Ferdinand Autumn and Olive and June JJ

Autumn, which is my favorite shade of this collection, is a warm pinky nude shade. This is almost exactly the color of my lips, and I love pairing it with Kackie’s Thrive Lip Liner and a clear gloss. It’s a great my lips but better look for fall for me. I paired this with JJ from Olive and June, which is a rosy terracotta shade. I love this color, but I’m not a huge fan of Olive and June’s formula, so if you have suggestions for a color like this, please let me know if in the comments below!

Finding Ferdinand Cold Brew and ILNP Chai Latte

Last, but certainly not least, is Cold Brew, which is a deep neutral brown that I’ve been loving using to “fall-ify” my punchier pink lipsticks. I’m also wearing this lipstick right now, and it works so well with the deep brown eyeshadows I tend to pull out this season. I paired it with the shade Chai Latte from ILNP, which is a mocha ultra holo, and perfectly compliments the brown tones in Cold Brew. I love the cozy vibes this pair gives me since it feels like having hot chocolate with marshmallows on a cold winter night under a blanket.

What do you think of these collections? Would you like to see more matching makeup and nail polish from me? What would you like to see next on LiftBakeLove? Let me know in the comments below, and thanks as always for being here! And a big thank to Color Expression for editing these photos – all edit credit goes to him!

My Favorite Nail Polishes Right Now

by liftbakelove4 Comments on My Favorite Nail Polishes Right Now

I am an avid nail polish user and have over 100 polishes – I love trying out new brands and finishes! I’ve gotten requests to share more about my favorite polishes, so I’m going to start sharing my favorites every month! I almost always use Orly Bonder Basecoat and KBShimmer Clearly on Top Quick Dry top coat and will let you know if I needed to use black or white underneath something to make it work. If you’re interested in more nail content definitely let me know in the comments below. And as always, subscribe here or on Instagram @liftbakelove for new posts.

Thumb to pinky: Hydropower, Hot-wire pink, Pink Fizz, Lavender Syrup, Sparkling Water

Holo Taco is Simply Nailological’s nail polish brand, and I absolutely love their polishes. I was so excited for the new pastel collection and electric linear holo collections, and these are the 5 I choose to grab from each. The linear holo formula is reliably 2 coats for full coverage in all of the colors Holo Taco makes. Some of them I can even get by with one coat, but I like doing a second coat to ensure depth of color and even coverage. I love how strong the holo is in all of these and how unique the colors are.

Hydropower is my favorite polish from Holo Taco – it’s a vibrant aqua that feels like summer to me. Hot-wire Pink is a bright hot pink, and it’s a color I was always hoping to have in this formula. Pink Fizz is a cool toned pink that leans purple. I was hoping for something more pink when it first came out, but now that I have Hot-wire Pink, I have exactly the pink I was looking for. Lavender Syrup is a pale cool toned lavender that I find leans on the blue side. Sparkling Water is a soft blue shade that is so pretty for spring and summer.

Starrily is an indie nail polish brand based in the US, and one of my favorite brands. Starrily Pegasus is a purple metallic foil that full of micro-flake that make it incredibly reflective. It’s full coverage in 2 coats for me (though Starrily recommends using 3 coats which would be totally okay with me to get this incredible finish). It’s extremely beautiful in the sun or inside, and I think the Starrily Foil formula is incredibly underrated. Starrily polishes constantly sell out, but if you sign up to be notified when they’re back in stock, I find it pretty easy to get the shades I’ve been waiting for when they restock.

Picture Polish is an indie nail polish brand based in Australia that recently had a big sale – I took the opportunity to grab a bunch of different shades and formulas. I’ve watched Kelli Marissa talk about how amazing the brand is for a long time and was very excited to try them out. I was not at all disappointed!

Maldives is a scattered holo warm teal polish that reminds me of the beach and the ocean (check out the website for a more true to color picture – I couldn’t capture it correctly for some reason and want to make sure you get to see how gorgeous the color is!). It was fully opaque in 2 coats, and the finish is really unique for my collection. It is so perfect for summer for me and reminds me of a tropical vacation that I hopefully will be able to take one day.

Chameleon is a green/blue/purple multi chrome nail polish. Depending on the light and angle, it will show up as a different color, and I couldn’t be happier. This is by far my favorite multi chrome formula that I’ve tried – it’s fully opaque in two coats (though you migh tneed 3 if you have longer nails), and the sparkles in it make it truly unique. I also love how it doesn’t require a black base coat, which is rare in this kind of formula as most multi chrome polishes tend to need a black base coat to show up.

What are you wearing on your nails lately? I’d love to know down below in the comments!