Introducing Black Label Nails, Swatches and Review

Hello my indie lovers!  Today I have swatches and a review for Black Label Nails, a new indie polish that has just opened shop and is ready to be a hit.  The lovely Jenn was so sweet to send me three of her polishes for swatches, and besides noticing how beautiful they are I could not stop admiring her badass skull with pink bow logo, plus these indies are cleverly named after rock songs!

Black Label Nails

Paradise City is a very sheer polish that under the right light turns violet-blueish.  It can be used by itself but it will work better over a light pink base color.  And if you must know it is named after a Guns n Roses song.  For this swatch I used it over a bubblegum pink.  This was 3 coats and 1 coat of top coat.

Black Label Nails Paradise City

A made another swatch but this one is with a light link base color.  This was 2 coats with 1 coat of top coat.

Black Label Nails Paradise City

Lithium is a silver grey polish named after a Nirvana song!  It is a gunmetal grey that will be a killer if you combine it with a badass stamping design.  For this swatch I used 2 thick coats with no undies and 1 coat of top coat.

Black Label Nails Lithium

Sick Hearts is a gorgeous clear base glitter bomb filled with blue, grey, and white hexes. I am a sucker for glitter toppers and this one I liked very much, then again you can combine this glitter topper with a large variety of base colors.  This polish is one of three from her Valentine's Day Collection that is also available.  For this swatch I dabbed it over a magenta base color.  You can also use it to create a jelly sandwich!

Black Label Nails Sick Hearts

Black Label Nails Sick Hearts

Of the three, Sick Hearts was my favorite.  This is the first glitter topper I own that contains hearts and you already know that I am in love with it!

All three of these polishes were very easy to apply and manage.  All her products are 4 free which is DBP, Toluene, and Formaldehyde resin free plus Vegan and Cruelty free!!

Which one is your favorite?  Do you own any Black Label Nails or do you have a couple on your wish list?

Stop by her Etsy shop and grab these beauties or contact her if you are interested in a custom indie, stay tuned through Facebook or follow her over Instagram @blacklabelnails for swatches and updates.

Essie's First Base review

Essie first base review

Hello again lovies!  I'm back for a review of Essie's base coat First Base.  As some of you may now from Nail Care Routine post I am an ex-acrylic addict.  My nails were a disaster, they were weak, I did not care for my cuticles, etc.  When I started caring for my nails, one of the firsts nail polishes I bought was Essie's Millionails to help grow my nails.  As I got used to constantly using it as base coat and finding that it had a fair performance since first of all it was not meant to be a base coat, I decided to buy Essie's First Base to try it out and gather my thoughts to bring you all simple review.

My journey began at a Walgreens where I purchased the base coat I think it was for like $9 or close.  I read the instructions and the description and got so excited to give it a try.  The polish came packaged in Essie's original plastic box and the bottle is tinted aqua blue.  The formula was great, it was neither thick nor drippy, and it dried super fast. So here it goes...

Essie's First Base is a <good> base coat if you are trying to save some money from well-known brands like CND and if you find yourself at a CVS or Walgreens and don't know any other base coat that might actually serve its purpose.

Essie's web description is "an adhesive base that binds nail polish onto nails and keeps color on for long lasting manicures or pedicures".

I have been using it for 3 weeks and 6 manicures. It does hold my mani a little longer but not as long as I would like. I would say exactly like 2 more days compared with what I was using as base coat. 

 2 days later

I still experience chips, lifting, and tip wear 2 days after applying.  Is it that hard to find a very good base coat that will allow me to keep my mani intact for at least 4 days? 

If I would grade this base coat I would give it a B-. 

Have you used this base coat before?  How was your experience with it?  What other base coat would you recommend?

I would love to hear your feedback!

*Note that I am not receiving any type of compensation for this review and I purchased everything with my own money.