INDIEana Handicraft Exchange - See us in person!

I'm excited to share with you that Paint Box Polish will be a vendor in this summer's INDIEana Handicraft Exchange show in Indianapolis! There are going to be a ton of vendors there (though I believe PBP is the only polish vendor) with clothing, jewelry, paper goods, toys, etc. It looks to be a real-life Etsy. I'm very excited!

I will have all colors available - oldies plus the Summer Sweets & Treats collection - as well as cuticle oils and nail files. I'd love to see you folks! Swing by and say hello. :)

To find detailed info about the show, click here. It is June 14th from 12-8pm at Harrison Center for the Arts on Delaware Street in Indianapolis. There is also a music festival going on that day and there will be local craft brewers (beer, ciders, wine) and great food. See? Such a good time. I'd love to see you!

And I'll add nail wheel swatches and bottle shots of the upcoming collection, because why not?

Dandy Nails Love Affair

Today I've got my first polish from Dandy Nails! Sandy makes fabulous polishes and is well-established in the indie polish world. She came out with a set of amazing holos (the DandyGraphic collection) in November and I forced myself to buy only one. Because I'm trying to show restraint. :)

Love Affair is a dark pink, burgundy-ish color that is just beautiful. Then throw in that lovely, tightly scattered holo and I'm done. In my cart it went!

Direct sunlight

The formula of this is just perfection! Thick enough to be an easy one coater, but not so thick that it's gloopy and difficult to place. The brush was flat and a bit wide, so there were zero issues. I don't think I did any clean up with this mani at all. 

On a side note, look at that sunshine! Gah, I miss it. The temperature is -20 here in Indiana and I feel like the sun has been hiding for weeks. I love winter, but I'm done with it. :)

Slightly blurred because RAINBOWS!

Dandy Nails are available in her Etsy store here. Love Affair is in stock and available for $10.00. She has several lovely polishes and I'm going to have to indulge in more soon!

Stay warm, folks! Are you in a warm climate? Can I come visit? :)

A Study in Polish I Do Post-Mortems and Not Your Housekeeper

It's just about an hour until the new season of Sherlock airs on PBS (9:58 EST), and in it's honor, I'm back with the newest Sherlock polishes from A Study in Polish.

First up is I Do Post-Mortems, which is inspired by the ever lovely Molly Hooper. A soft, neutral pink with a low-key holographic shimmer. This is like Mind Palace's quiet little sister. (see my review of Mind Palace and my other A Study in Polish polishes here). I'm generally not a muted pink lover, but man! This is easily one of my favorites.

Direct artificial lighting

Direct natural light

 Not Your Housekeeper is Mrs. Hudson's polish. It's a super pretty, squishy plum with blue and pink/purple micro glitters. There may be some gold ones hidden in there as well. I used three coats here and it was just lovely.

Direct natural light

A Study in Polish offers Sherlock, The Hobbit, Teen Wolf, and Hannibal inspired polishes in her store.

Coming Black Friday! Paint Box Polish Winter Collection!

I'm excited for today's post, readers!! I've got swatches of my new late fall/winter collection which is inspired by the women of Harry Potter! I've been working on this set for a long time and I'm glad to finally bring them to you.

More photos after the jump!

Digital Nails Obliviate!

I can't believe I haven't posted this one! Obliviate is from Digital Nails' Harry Potter Spells collection and is all sorts of fabulous. In the first two photos I layered one coat over a black creme (gotta conserve this beautiful polish!) and you can see the green/gold duochrome effect. Oh.  And the holo. Holy smokes that linear holo goodness.

The formula was great. I used CND Stickey as a base coat and Digital Nails Ain't Nobody Got Time For That quick dry top coat and the holo wasn't dulled at all. In fact, I think it looked even better after the top coat.

Blurred to show the holo.

Here I've shown two thin coats on its own. I prefer the look layered, but I think a third coat would brighten this one up a lot.

Did you pick up any of the Spells polishes? They can be found at the Digital Nails Etsy store here.

6 Harts Polish Blow Me... A Raspberry!

Readers, today I've got a beauty for you! This is my first (And not last... Lookin' at you, Bat Crap Crazy!) 6 Harts Polish, and it is a bright berry stunner packed with mildly linear holo particles. It is fairly reminiscent of Orly Miss Conduct, but I absolutely love the formula on this one, so I may have to let Miss Conduct go. Blow me (heh, heh) is shown here with two easy coats and a splash of top coat. 

Indoors with flash

Direct sunlight

Digital Nails Spells! Pt 1 - Stupify, Colovaria, Nox

Pic heavy post... Not sorry! 

I saw teases of Digital Nails' HP Spells collection on her Facebook page a few days before the release and set an alarm on my phone so that I'd remember to be ON ETSY when they released. :) It was one of those furious, get-it-in-the-cart-and-get-out-and-oh-please-don't-let-me-get-cart-jacked moments. I managed to get everything I wanted. Yes!!

First up is Stupify! Wow. Stupify. Super beautiful blurple stunner with linear holo particles and blue/pink duochrome flakies. Yes, I know. It really is as awesome as it sounds. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

2 coats plus top coat in direct sun

direct sun, blurred to appreciate the rainbows!

2 coats in indirect sun. Better to see the flakies, my dear.

And the thermals... Oh, the thermals. I haven't been quick to jump on the thermal bandwagon because I wasn't sure if it would be one of those blink-and-you-miss-it trends. It also seemed a bit gimmick-y. But man, Raph's swatches drew me in! I love the thermals from this collection because they are bright, bold, and obvious. No pale pink to pale lavender shifting here! Both also have the color shifting flakies that are found in Stupify.

First, we have Colovaria. It changes from pale pink when warm to bright magenta when cold. The flakies in it have a yellow-green-blue shift.

hot on top, transitioning, and cold on bottom

(Imagine an awesome video of the color shift here. Grrr....)

Nox is a navy blue/purple to pale blue thermal with blue-pink shifting flakies. This polish is still very noticeable even when it is cold. The shift is so dramatic with this one!

warm to cold transition

Nox in it's cold state

I picked up three more from Digital Nails' last restock, so look for that post in a few days. If you're interested in any of Raph's awesome creations, visit her Etsy store here. She is on vacation until next week, but favorite the shop and visit later!

Scofflaw Nail Varnish David Bowie's Bulge

Today I have my latest purchase from the awesome Scofflaw Nail Varnish... David Bowie's Bulge. Ha ha ha!! The color is inspired by David Bowie's Aladdin Sane album. The name? Have you seen Labyrinth? If so, you know what I'm talking about.

The base is a squishy-yet-opaque coral (not quite as bright as it appears here) filled with different sized teal glitter and smaller red and bronze glitters. There is also a smattering of holographic shimmer.

This is a lovely polish that applies like butter and needed no fishing to get that awesome glitter coverage. Wear time was great, and it is a classic color kicked up a bit by the glitter. I see myself reaching for this one often! 

Alter Ego Beachcomber Too!

Readers, I've got a beauty (and a wound, obviously. Apologies!) to show you today. This is Beachcomber Too! by the lovely Cynthia from Alter Ego Nail Enamel. Cynthia has recently revamped all of her polishes, and let me tell you... This one is beautiful!!

This mani was two (three? Yikes. I can't remember) coats of Beachcomber Too! topped with Digital Nails Ain't Nobody Got Time For That! top coat. Cynthia was inspired by turquoise ocean waters, and I think she did a beautiful job! I love the scattered holo, but am bummed that there wasn't enough sun to properly showcase it.

Alter Ego Nail Enamels dry to a satiny, matte finish. I used the top coat to showcase the holo shine. I didn't think to get matte shot, but will show it later!

Scofflaw Nail Varnish Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Koi Pondering, and Owls of Outrage

Scofflaw Nail Varnish is one of those indie brands I'd been hearing all sorts of awesome things about and finally happened upon her store when she restocked. I managed to pick up the two polishes I'd been lusting after and another one that caught my eye when I was getting all grabby-handed. :)

First up is Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. In real life, I've got a bit of a potty mouth. And my entire family have our ham radio licenses. And my husband honestly tried to get us all to learn Morse Code. How could I not get WTF??  Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is a teal jelly base with a mixture of white, red, and gold glitters. Excellent application. Above is shown at two coats.

Koi Pondering is one I've wanted ever since I saw Rie's review. Deep blue base with white, orange, and yellow hexes as well as a silver shimmer. You may be amazed to know that this one is inspired by... a Koi pond! Geez. Don't quit my day job.

The last is Owls of Outrage. This one came out more brown/dark mauve than I'd hoped. There's a ton of glitter going on in this one, and it applied beautifully, but I just wasn't feeling it. This is three coats in the waning sun on my in-laws' farm.

Overall, Scofflaw Nail Varnishes are definitely ones I'd recommend. They sell for $10.50 for a full sized bottle and a restock is scheduled for Sept. 15th. The Etsy store can be found here.

Fandom Cosmetics Still Betting on You

Today I have a polish from Fandom Cosmetics, a super awesome indie brand that pulls inspiration from all sorts of nerdy fandoms. Be still my heart! :)

Still Betting on You is from the Hunger Games collection and is inspired by one of my very favorite characters, Cinna. It is described as, "... our ode to everyone's favorite Capitol resident, and the mastermind behind the girl on fire. It is comprised of a gold holographic dust base, and scattered with soft pinkish orange and red hex."

I decided to use this one solo. Shown is three coats with CND Stickey base coat and Digital Nails Ain't Nobody Got Time For That quick-dry top coat.

Blurred to show off the holo! Fandom Cosmetics polishes are available for $8.50. They also sell eye shadow, scrubs, t-shirts, and candles. Check out the wares here!

Summer Heat! Paint Box Polish's summer collection

Today is the launch date for my newest collection, Summer Heat! Hot neon colors with circle glitters and shimmery micro flakes. I took my inspiration from my Zumba classes. The bright colors of the clothing, thumping music, having a good time while sweating like a crazy person! I tried to embody all of that in polish bottles. And, a TARDIS blue one snuck in there. Sorry, kids. I'm a Whovian. :)

I've been in Las Vegas for a week and the desert air trashed my cuticles. Rie and Ashley reviewed the polishes and they are kind enough to let me snag their photos. :) Check out Rie's review on nailsandnoms.com here. Ashley's review can be found here at ashleyispolishaddicted.com.

Behold!

Everybody's Doing It - 3 coats

Sweat It Off - 3 coats

Booty Pop - 3 coats

In The Groove - 3 coats. 2 coats over white on ring finger

Did I mention they are UV light reactive? Hey! They are!

Two Right Feet - TARDIS blue awesomeness!!

What do you think? I'm so excited about them. If you want to grab any, head over to my Etsy store. These will be limited edition. Once my supplies for them are gone, they are as well.

NerdLacquer All of Time and Space

I saved my favorite NerdLacquer for last. This wasn't on my must-have list for the store opening at all, but it was available, and pretty, and another Doctor Who inspired one, so in the cart it went.

All of Time and Space has a mint-ish green base with a prominent silver shimmer. In the mix are small and medium fuschia hexes and small silver ones. Application was cake. Two coats and a layer of top coat. Easy peasy.

NerdLacquer Don't Blink

NerdLacquer Don't Blink is the other polish that got me drooling over NerdLacquers and crying because I didn't get any before Amanda went on hiatus.

It's modeled after one of my favorite Who monsters, the Weeping Angels. Monsters that don't kill you, but zap you back in time and swipe some of your life energy. They're lightning fast and turn into stone if you look at them. Blink, and you're zapped. Hence, Don't Blink.

Pictured are two coats of light grey creme polish with small black and medium white/silver hex glitters. This photo shows a coat of Hard Candy Matte-ly in Love over it all. I didn't realize that all of the non-matted shots were blurry until I started writing the post. I prefer it matte anyway as it really brings out the stone look!

NerdLacquer I Think You Call Me... Sexy

This is one of the NerdLacquers that got me lemming NerdLacquers. It sings to my nerdy, Doctor Who loving heart. Inspired by the TARDIS, this polish gets it's name from Idris, the woman-form of the TARDIS from one of the brilliant episodes written by Neil Gaiman. 

I Think You Call Me... Sexy has a cobalt blue base loaded with varying sizes of silver hex glitters and a warm red/gold shimmer. There are just two coats shown here and all of the glitter lays perfectly flat with just one coat of top coat. I've went through almost a whole bottle of NYC Grand Central Station. A great fast-dry top coat for $1.97 at Meijer!

NerdLacquer The Quantum Bluniverse

The Quantum Bluniverse is the second of five NerdLacquers I got my mitts on, and it's a beauty! TQB has a blue jelly-ish base that is packed with gold and blue hexes in varying sizes, gold flecks, and a bit of a duochrome blue/green shimmer. Super busy glitter bomb of a polish, but I love it to bits! 

I used two coats here, and application was a breeze. No dragging, no need to place or dab the larger glitters, and no need for undies.

And, taking a cue from Mish at Accio Lacquer (you guys have to check her out if you haven't already. She's hilarious and her nerdiness just sings to me!), I mattified this baby with a coat of Hard Candy Matte-ly in Love. I love how easy it is to see the details when glitters are matted. And see that tiny bit of tip wear? That's about 3 days in. 

For info on restocks, follow NerdLacquer on Google+. And practice your lightning fast fingers. These polishes are gone before you can blink. ;)

NerdLacquer All of Time and Space

What is the biggest rush you've had in your life? I spent a 30 minute time frame obsessively refreshing Amanda's shop page until her restock went live. Then, it happened. Polish was available to buy. I immediately put five bottles in my cart and furiously checked out before I got cart jacked. And my heart was racing and I had a huge adrenaline rush. Is that sad? :) 

Behold, my favorite of the five... All of Time and Space. I love NerdLacquer's Doctor Who polishes. And the Firefly ones. And the Lord of the Rings ones... All of time and space is made up of tiny silver glitter, large-ish silver hexes, and small/medium fuchsia hexes that suspend nicely in a shimmery turquoise/green base.

Application was a dream. Two coats to opacity, and the glitter laid flat with no fancy topcoats. This is two coats topped with NYC Grand Central Station (which is a fabulous quick dry top coat for little $$).

If you love unique polishes and are feeling like letting your nerd flag fly, Check out NerdLacquer. You'll find restock info by following them on Google+. Warm up your fingers. This latest restock (1,200 polishes) sold out in 4 minutes.

Literary Lacquers More Like Fire Than Light

Today I've got a fabulous polish from Literary Lacquers, More Like Fire Than Light. This polish is one of nine in "The Good Parts" collection, which is inspired by erotic fiction. More Like Fire Than Light takes it's inspiration from Delta of Venus, by Anais Nin.

This polish is a linear holo in a very squishy, bright, orange jelly base. I used CND Stickey and NYC Grand Central Station without any dulling of the holo effect at all. Three thin, easy coats and you're done!

More Like Fire Than Light can be picked up for $10 per 15mL bottle here.

Tough As Nails Lacquer The Dregs, part 1 - The Redundant Woman and Magdelene's Laundry Service

Today I have two of the four polishes from Tough As Nails Lacquer's Spring Collection, The Dregs. This collection came together as a result of the creator's "recent obsession with drinking tea, the underbelly of Victorian culture, and a desire for a more calming collection." The Tough As Nails line is filled with brights and glitter bombs, so this collection is a bit of a departure from that.

First up is The Redundant Woman. It is a periwinkle purple/blue shade with fine pink shimmer. The shimmer is fairly evident in the bottle, but has to be coaxed out on the nail. The photo below is as sunny as I could manage, so I've also included a shot taken with flash. 

I used three medium coats of The Redundant Woman for this mani. There is a tad bit of nail line in these shots, but it really wasn't visible at all. I purchased shorty bottles, and they have a fairly short, stiff brush. I had to be careful with application because I got a few bald spots. 

3 coats of The Redundant Woman with top coat and flash.

Magdalene's Laundry Service has a milky, pink jelly base with pink dots and hexes and a pearly finish. A very beautiful polish! The above shot is three coats with top coat. No undies - because I'm usually too lazy for that. I normally don't go for polishes that are this sheer, but I really love this one. Application was great. I used two coats of top coat, but it really wasn't necessary. 

I was unaware of what the name referred to, but there is a nice explanation on the Tough As Nails blog. I've included it here:

"During the 18th-20th centuries, if you were a prostitute, unmarried, too flirtatious, or even too pretty, you may have been sent to a Magdalene Asylum. Magdalene Asylums, or Magdalene Laundries, were institutions for the fallen women of society, located throughout Europe, Canada, and the US. The asylums were originally intended to rehabilitate prostitutes and other women back into society, sustaining themselves by offering laundry services, but became prison-like, where women experienced hard labor, forced periods of silence, and abuse."

A sad thing, to be sure. There have been a few news stories recently about Magdalene Laundries after the Irish Prime Minister issued a formal apology for them. The last one wasn't closed in Ireland until 1996. 

Sorry to end on a sour note, but you have the rest of this collection to look forward to in my next post.

A Study In Polish - Polishes Inspired by BBC's Sherlock

Frequenters of this blog and/or my Etsy shop know that I love nail polishes that tie in with my favorite fandoms. I am a huge fan of Harry Potter, Doctor Who, and BBC's Sherlock. The indie polish world now has Harry Potter and Doctor Who collections, but what about Sherlock? 

Enter A Study In Polish, a line hand mixed by a fellow fan and polish fiend. Morgan had posted previews of a line she planned to start selling soon, and I marked the day on my calendar. 

A Study In Polish Consulting Detective, Mind Palace, Let's Have Dinner, and Baker Street Blues.

The first of the four polishes I picked up is Let's Have Dinner. It is a red jelly with Medium and small black hexes, and small blue hexes. This polish is inspired by the intriguing Irene Adler. The above photo is two easy coats.

Baker Street Blues is a shimmery cobalt blue with blue and iridescent square and hex glitter. Perfectly opaque at two coats.

Macro shot of Baker Street Blues

Mind Palace is a beautiful seafoam green with a subtle linear holo finish. Honestly, I bought this one because, 1) It was a holo and I can't resist holos, and 2) It was available in limited quantities due to hard-to-find holo pigment. The polish hoarder in me couldn't resist! I'm glad I didn't resist because this is my favorite of the collection. Mind Palace is a little on the thick side, but nothing unmanageable.

Blurred to show the sparkle

The last of the Sherlock Polishes I picked up is Consulting Detective, a purple shimmery polish with gold and blue hex glitters. Consulting Detective was also a little thick, but it allows the glitter to suspend nicely in the base.

All of Morgan's polishes had excellent wear time. I wore all for 2-3 days with no significant chipping.

There are two polishes I passed on, and Morgan just listed two more polishes yesterday. All polishes are $9.00 each except for 221B, which is a glitter topcoat. A Study In Polish has a shop open here.