Freak Show Polish: Circus of the Sun

Circus of the Sun is a shimmery orange polish with bright orange glitters mixed inside as well. This polish reminds me of gold and I couldn't wait to put it on!

I first applied 4-5 coats of Let's Meet by Sinful Colors. I would usually wear this polish as a topper but I really didn't mind the building up of coats which others might find annoying. I really love the outcome, it feels like I'm wearing the sun on my nails! I haven't worn a bright color like this in a while and it feels great!

I probably should've worn a more orange base but this one looked fine under two coats of Circus of the Sun. I love the way this looks, it makes my nails feel like summer!

Besides my awkwardly chipped nail, this polish looks amazing up close! 

Here is my rating of this polish:

Application: Very easy to apply even though the brush to my sample bottle popped off of the cap :(

True to Color: Completely true to color.

Dry Time: 2-4 minutes.

Consistency: Smooth, not clumpy or goopy. 

Coats Until Opaque: On its own probably 3-4 coats. 

Additional Comments: If you want to feel like you have gold on your nails, get this nail polish! 

Final Rating: 8/10

To purchase, visit FreakShowPolish.com or visit Carissa's Instagram (Instagram.com/FreakShowPolish) to view more swatches and polishes!

Freak Show Polish: Strongman I

Strongman I is a glitter topper with round blue and green glitters to make any mani pop. In the bottle this polish is to die for, the glitters were just calling my name!

I first started with three coats of Mint Apple by Sinful Colors which was also my Mint Mani for Talia Joy. I really wanted to be a part of that tag so I planned this swatch to go up on Friday. Mint Apple is a gorgeous shimmery mint polish.

I absolutely love this color and think it's perfect for summer. I topped this off with two coats of Strongman I and let me tell you, I was in circle glitter heaven!

This polish is a glitter bomb! Two coats did fill most spaces and I didn't have to fish for glitter too much, but being the perfectionist that I am, I did fill in a few empty spaces on my own. Other than that this polish is gorgeous! Since the base is clear, you can layer it over any base color that you wish!

Don't these glitters make you swoon? Here's my rating for this polish:

Application: This glitter topper went on pretty easily. 

True to Color: The base is clear but the glitters are as vibrant as they are in the bottle. 

Dry Time: 2-3 minutes.

Consistency: The clear base did get a bit thick at times but it wasn't too hard to work with.

Coats Until Opaque: It's a clear base but it does take 2 coats for the glitters to fill most spots on the nail.

Additional Comments: I think this polish is beautiful! I did have a hard time taking it off but that's not necessarily a bad thing! That just means it's definitely long lasting. I also did have to place a few glitters on myself but that's only because I'm picky and I need glitter to be EVERYWHERE!

Final Rating: 7/10

To purchase, visit FreakShowPolish.com or visit Carissa's Instagram (Instagram.com/FreakShowPolish) to view more swatches and polishes!

Freak Show Polish: Corde Lisse

Corde Lisse is a light blue jelly polish packed with white bar glitters, rectangular glitters and very small blue and silver hex glitters. To be honest, I was a bit hesitant about this polish when I first saw it in the bottle, I wasn't quite sure how it would look on my nails. Which is all the more reason to swatch it, to find the truth once and for all.

I began with three coats of Secret Peri-wink-le by China Glaze as the "undies" for this mani. Corde Lisse can be built up, but I prefer to have an undie to make the process easier. Secret Peri-wink-le is probably one of the most enjoyable polishes to apply, the last time I wore it I could remember it being a struggle to apply but it was the exact opposite this time! It was so smooth and creamy, I love it!

After this dried, I topped it off with two coats of Corde Lisse and was shocked by the result. It didn't look strange at all, it oddly reminds me of Chiclets but I absolutely adore the look of my nails and can not stop staring at them! Again, I added a matte topcoat to these just like I did to my last nails because I just can't resist matte glitter!

Isn't it lovely? I love this combo so much and I never want to take it off! I think the bar glitters are what make me love this as much as I do. They add an element of surprise that you don't expect from most glitter polishes. 

Look at this glittery goodness! The chunky white glitters are seriously making me melt right now, they are absolutely perfect! Here is my rating of this polish.

Application: This polish went on smoothly, the bar glitters sometimes stuck up oddly but that wasn't a big issue. 

True to Color: Definitely true to color.

Dry Time: 1-2 minutes.

Consistency: A smooth jelly polish, not strangely thick or anything. 

Coats Until Opaque: Since I used undies, two coats on top of that was great. On its own I probably would've done 4 coats only because I hate seeing the nail line and because I'm picky. 3 coats on it's own will probably be fine though.

Additional Comments: I love this polish, probably my favorite out of the seven that Carissa sent me. I really love the choice of glitter, the colors and the easy application.

Final Rating: 9/10

To purchase, visit FreakShowPolish.com or visit Carissa's Instagram (Instagram.com/FreakShowPolish) to view more swatches and polishes!

Freak Show Polish: Tightrope Tutu

Because this polish is pink and sparkly, I HAD to swatch it first! Tightrope Tutu is a beautiful light pink jelly polish packed with turquoise and pink glitters in squares and hexes. It's gorgeous in the bottle and I could stare at it all day long if I could!

To start off this mani, I began with adding a base color to go underneath this polish. You could build up Tightrope Tutu on it's own but it is a jelly polish which means it'll take more coats to get full coverage. To make things easier, I applied three coats of Muchi, Muchi by Essie. Muchi, Muchi is a soft pink polish that I personally adore!

Once this dried, I added two coats of Tightrope Tutu right on top, followed by a matte top coat. For some reason I felt that mattifying these made it look much better, which has nothing to do with the polish, just personal opinion. And as you can see, these babies are killer.

As you can see, since Tightrope Tutu is slightly darker than Muchi Muchi, it did tint the whole look a little bit. I still really love the way this looks though! I had no problem with the glitter in this polish, I didn't need to fish for glitter or anything like that. It's truly packed with sparkle! 

Here's a closer look at Tightrope Tutu! I must give props to Carissa, I love how she paired pink and Turquoise together! They are truly the perfect pair, I can not stop staring at my nails! Here's my rating for this polish:

Application: Super easy to apply.

True to Color: It's as baby pink as it is in the bottle!

Dry Time: 1-2 minutes.

Consistency: Somewhat thin and very smooth. 

Coats Until Opaque: On it's own probably 3-4 coats. With undies, 2 coats will do.

Additional Comments: One of the prettiest polishes I own and I need more! The color combination is fabulous and I love it over Essie's Muchi, Muchi. I will definitely try this over more polishes. 

Final Rating: 10/10

To purchase, visit FreakShowPolish.com or visit Carissa's Instagram (Instagram.com/FreakShowPolish) to view more swatches and polishes!

Reviewing Freak Show Polishes

A few weeks ago, the lovely Carissa from @FreakShowPolish gave me and other bloggers the wonderful opportunity to swatch and review her gorgeous polishes. I was extremely excited, her glitter polishes are to die for and I swoon every time I catch  a glimpse of them. I was sent seven polishes which came in adorable sample bottles!

From left to right:
Strongman II, Strongman I, Tightrope Tutu, Corde Lisse, Circus of the Sun, Trapeze Swinger, Three-Ringed Circus

I can't wait to start swatching these beauties, they are too pretty to not have them on my nails! I'm so thankful for this opportunity and I'll be posting many swatches during the next two weeks. Thanks again Carissa! If you're interested in purchasing any of these polishes, go to FreakShowPolish.com to buy these polishes or to see others that she's made!

Birthday Nails

I've decided to have a very special mani for a very special day! Today is my birthday and I'm finally turning 15 years old. This is the design I came up with for this occasion!

When I had first started this manicure I was honestly stumped. I didn't know what kind of things I could put on my nails to represent that it was my birthday. I just randomly began to draw white stars on my thumb out of boredom, thinking that I would later take it off. Who would've known that they came out so nicely and that they would work so well with the theme of my nails! After liking the thumb nail I painted candles reading the number 15 on my index finger, followed by a striped nail including the color scheme of this mani, (neon pink, blue, purple and white.) The ring finger has a base of 4 coats of Set In Stones by Essie, topped with a purple cupcake! Lastly, the pinky has the same stars as the thumb, tying in the whole look together. I really love how these turned out and I won't want to take them off tomorrow even though it will no longer be my birthday (:

Summer Neons Haul

Today I dropped by Sally's Beauty Supply for a little early birthday haul! I was on the mission for some bright colors and I must say.. mission accomplished!

Since it's summer time in California, bright colors are perfect for the season. For the last few months I've been stocking up on spring pastels, now it's time to collect neons! I already own a few, like China Glaze's Orange Knockout and I'm With the Lifeguard. But I have definitely been missing these beauties in my life!

The first polish I got was Glowstick by Orly. I've been wanting this perfect highlighter yellow ever since I saw it on the talented @Jewsie_Nails! I'm not sure exactly what occasion this polish will be appropriate for, but I'll find a nice design to pair with it one day! I'm in love with this color and can't wait to put it on.

Up next is Shocking Pink by China Glaze. A polish I can finally cross off of my wish list! This is the perfect bright pink and I think it will look nice both on nails and toes! No other pink polish I have compares to this gorgeous color. 

I also purchased Turned Up Turquoise by China Glaze! This is a beautiful turquoise that also has a very slight shimmer to it. I'm excited to be wearing this and to be creating summer gradients with this color. 

Lastly, I bought Purple Panic by China Glaze. I don't have anything similar to this creamy magenta color. It's a bit more pink than it is purple but it's still wonderful. 

I'm so excited that I was able to purchase these polishes today! I can't wait to swatch them and use them in my designs. If you own any of these nail polishes, let me know what you think about them!

Bestie Twin Nails With Filippa!

This week Filippa (@Filippa_Bengtsson) and I decided to do the famous Bestie Twin Nails tag! This is my third time doing the tag and it's honestly so much fun! After much chit chat about different designs, colors and

patterns, Filippa and I decided on doing white bows over a blue gradient. After a quick sketch, we both knew that it was the perfect design for us to do.



When we were both finished with our nails, it was actually quite freaky how similar they looked, haha. I am very pleased with how they turned out though. I think that Filippa did an excellent job!

For this design we decided on a blue gradient using Sunday Funday by China Glaze as our darkest color (since we both own that polish), topped with a bit of glitter, and two white bows outlined in black on our index and ring finger. 

For the gradient I used a makeup sponge, Royally Yours by Loreal (light blue) and of course, Sunday Funday by China Glaze (dark blue.) I also topped it off with Fairy Dust by China Glaze to add touch of sparkle to the look. After that I painted white bows on two of my nails and outlined them with my striper brush in black. I hope you guys like this design and perhaps want to try it for yourself! Also don't forget to check out Filippas Instagram page, her username is @Filippa_Bengtsson!

Blue Jelly Sandwich

This 4th of July I decided not to go crazy with the red, white and blue. Instead, I went for a subtle jelly sandwich that still included the classic, rich blue color in the flag.

 For being my first attempt at a jelly sandwich, I am actually pretty proud. I never thought it would be packed with so much glittery deliciousness. I can't stop staring at my sparkly blue finger nails!

A jelly sandwich is when you sandwich a glitter polish between a jelly polish. For example, in my mani I started off with a few coats of Bouncer, It's Me by Essie, then I added two coats of Radiant by Revlon for the glitter, and finished it off with one last coat of Bouncer, It's Me. 

The consistency of a jelly polish is very thin and sheer, which is why it works so well for a jelly sandwich. When I add the final coat of Bouncer, It's Me, it's thin enough to still make the glitter visible but thick enough to tint the glitter to a dark blue. 

Radiant by Revlon is packed with medium sized, green, silver, and turquoise hex glitters. Along with very small and circular turquoise glitters. Two coats was just right for this look. I am so in love with this mani and I'll be keeping this one on for a while!