Not sure when this post became galaxy-themed but hey, while I'm at it, why don't we take a peek at some stellar Rainbow Honey polishes & goodies that I've been mooning over... ;)
Rainbow Honey is a brand that I've known of and lusted after for a while now but only just acquired, and now I'm kicking myself for taking so long. I am so in love.
MYSTERY BAG: July
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| Rainbow Honey "Deep Heart Sea" |
Meet Rainbow Honey "Deep Heart Sea".
Okay, is this not seriously darling? "Deep Heart Sea" is a marine teal jelly sparkling with teensy flakie shimmers in blue and dragonfruit purple; full of happy hex glitters in sunshine yellow, margarita green, white, beach blue, and island coral, then punched up with some pearlescent square glitters and the namesake element, white heart glitters. Phew. Lots going on, and the effect is electrifying. Full disclosure: when I first saw swatches online, I did not expect to like this polish at all. Primarily because I thought the coral glitters were red (and red is just not my thing), but also because I'm generally not taken with complicated color concoctions. "Deep Heart Sea" may be a game-changer for me in this regard. Inventive, playful, and expertly composed. The Rainbow Honey Lab must be full of color theory genies.
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| Rainbow Honey "Deep Heart Sea", in sunshine |
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| Rainbow Honey "Deep Heart Sea", in shade |
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| Rainbow Honey "Deep Heart Sea", in electric light |
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Next up is "Chemical Plant", and she's a beauty. Her industrial name belies the desperately gorgeous reality of this polish. Based on swatches of this polish, I was expecting a more magenta-toned Zoya "Tiffany"; I was consistently seeing a rose pink rusted over with strong copper edges, but that is just not at all what I found. Instead, "Chemical Plant" is right in step with the year's Radiant Orchid theme, though quite exceptional among the many polishes hoping to strike that particular chord. "Chemical Plant" is an exotic orchid polish that is rendered breathtakingly radiant by luminous golden flakie shimmers flashing magenta and sapphire. On the nail, the shimmers seem to fuse together with the delicate iridescence of a dragonfly's wing. There is also a subtle illusion of a smoky violet edge to the polish, a quality that always reminds me of a luxurious duochrome silk. The illusive duochrome edges are both evoked most strongly in the shade and also, surprisingly, indoors, which is excellent news for those of us in northern and/or cloudy climates! You can see how decadent and lustrous the shimmer becomes in these more diffuse lighting conditions. Of course, "Chemical Plant" is also stunning in the sunshine; no, literally, it sparkled so much that it stunned my camera into unfocused confusion ;)
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| Rainbow Honey "Chemical Plant", in sunshine |
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| Rainbow Honey "Chemical Plant", in shade |
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| Rainbow Honey "Chemical Plant", in electric light |
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| Rainbow Honey "Chemical Plant", in sunshine |
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| Rainbow Honey "Chemical Plant" // one, two, and three coats |
While we're here, note the dried/slightly cracked condition of my cuticles in the one-two-three photograph. Now check out the pics above that; better, yes? I didn't trim or use cuticle remover; all I did was smudge on some Rainbow Honey cuticle cream and things started becoming much more attractive. Thank goodness.
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The final polish of the July Mystery Bag is happy little "Viridis". Another one that I wasn't sure about online, one that I might not normally choose for myself, and guess what? Love at first sight. In fact, the first thing I did after tearing through my package with joyous savagery was to immediately get this on my nails. I had Sally Hansen Satin Glam "Crystalline" on at the time, so it worked out beautifully. "Viridis" is a charming ensemble of incandescent green stars, pearlescent lavender and aqua circles, and iridescent hex glitters of all scales, all floating in an agave-tinged base. Optimistic, bright, and bubbly; doesn't it just make you want to skip about with your unicorn?
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| Rainbow Honey "Viridis" |
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| Rainbow Honey "Viridis" |
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| RH "Midori" Scented Cuticle Balm // RH Limited Edition "Neon Blossom" // RH "Midori" Eau de Parfum Roller // RH "Chemical Plant", "Deep Heart Sea", "Viridis" // RH "Midori" Cooling Gel |
Also included in the mystery bag are a few fun things in the delicious "Midori" scent, which is exactly what you would expect: sweet melon, just like the liqueur. I've been really enjoying this; it's perfectly light and bright for summer. "Midori" also got a good review from my boyfriend, which is HUGE because he's allergic/sensitive to certain fragrances and therefore he's not very enthused whenever I acquire a new scent, anticipating that he's about to have suffering sinuses. So I was pleasantly surprised when his reaction was "yummm" as opposed to "sniffle *sad face*". He did express some concern for my sanity, however, when he saw me applying the cuticle balm; side effect of the lip balm packaging, I suppose :) At first I found it a little awkward to apply, but then I thought, this is still a much more precise way to apply this kind of balm than if it had come in a little pot and I was gooping it on with a finger. So I'm going to endorse the packaging decision, and let people think I'm confused haha. They'll probably think that a lot, too, since I've unconsciously started toting the balm around with me. And I mean, you saw the wonders it did on my cuticles above.
The Cooling Gel is a wonderful and unique product; it will be dreamy for those times when you get a little too much color. It's the fairy godmother of aloe gels, kissing away the heat with a gentle cooling sensation that lasts for about five minutes. And it SPARKLES!! I think I squealed a little when I rubbed some on and saw the tiny icicle blue twinkles. It's like Elsa gave you a hug or something. Love. Love love love love. (Side note, is it just me or is the gel bottle glowing like the MOON in the picture above... "Whaa?! Is is perhaps the luminescence of Frozen magic trapped inside??!" And this is how my brain works.)
I've been enjoying the Eau de Parfum for the scent, but I've found that it doesn't last very long on me. It fades by an hour so it's just as well that the roller is sample-sized and convenient. Of course, when it comes to perfume performance, body chemistry is tantamount so my system may just be breaking this down double-time, or I might also just acclimate to this fragrance more so than others. I'd say that the fact that this scent manages to be both sweet and delicate at the same time is in it's favor; I was a little afraid that it might be more like a plastic Lip Smackers interpretation of watermelon. Never fear, you will smell nothing like a Jolly Rancher. (Maybe a teensy bit like a Jolly Rancher. Only much more subtle and sophisticated ;) )
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Final verdict? Well, I just ordered the full size, so I think that says it all. What you've seen here is the mini bag that comes free with a $65 purchase (whee!!) and also can be purchased separately for $10 (which is what you would have to do now that it is no longer July). The full size is $25, which is a fantastic deal when you consider that the polishes alone are worth $30. If you love this bag, I'd hop on it since it won't be around for long, and the price doesn't get better. Mystery bags are also available as a subscription, for the same prices (mini = $10 + $3.95 shipping, large = $25 + free shipping). The minis are fun, but I kind of panicked when I saw that the 5mL bottles were already down to 2/3 after one round of swatching. These polishes are all too beautiful, so that will never do.
JULY LIMITED EDITION: "Neon Blossom"
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| Rainbow Honey "Neon Blossom" |
"Neon Blossom" is a polish that gives "flower power" an entirely new meaning. These are like superhero flowers. "Neon Blossoms" is a glitter topper on superjuice: highlighter yellow and pink flower glitters anchor this electric symphony but are supported by neon yellow squares and neon pink hexes, tiny and tinier white dots, golden shimmer (!) and those same icy blue-violet iridescent glitters from the Cooling Gel (!!!). Here again is a polish that I was skeptical about, and again I am dumbfounded by the brilliance of the composition. And the energy of it! This really is a power polish, for when you need a burst of awesome.
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| Rainbow Honey "Neon Blossom" [China Glaze "Flip Flop Fantasy", Essence "Grey-t To Be Here", Pixi "Lime Lustre", China Glaze "Feel the Breeze"], in sunshine |
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| Rainbow Honey "Neon Blossom" [China Glaze "Flip Flop Fantasy", Essence "Grey-t To Be Here", Pixi "Lime Lustre", China Glaze "Feel the Breeze"], in shade |
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| Rainbow Honey "Neon Blossom" [China Glaze "Flip Flop Fantasy", Essence "Grey-t To Be Here", Pixi "Lime Lustre", China Glaze "Feel the Breeze"], in electric light |
I test drove "Neon Blossom" over a variety of summery shades: index: China Glaze "Flip Flop Fantasy" // middle: Essence "Grey-t To Be Here" // ring: Pixi "Lime Lustre" // pinkie: China Glaze "Feel the Breeze". Initially I thought "Neon Blossom" might be a difficult one to pair, because in the bottle the yellow has a bit of an odd chartreuse appearance. But this is just a trick of the eye; the pink is exaggerating its complement, the greenish undertones of the neon yellow, but once the glitter is distributed on the nail the yellow comes through with a purer tone. I used two coats of "Neon Blossom", as the glitter is quite large it is more sparse and I had to do a little bit of traffic control to get an even spread. But hey, that's par for the course with this kind of polish, and anyways, it is well worth it!! This polish was the July Limited Edition, so it is now available for $10 but I'll tell you now, when the Limited Editions are gone they are pretty much gone so don't loll around if you love this one.
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I am just so impressed by the Rainbow Honey products I've tried so far and can't wait to try out the rest that I have & what's on the way!! I'm also feeling lots of love for the brand because they have the most warm and fuzzy customer service I've ever encountered. I've been corresponding with their lovely info lady, Carolyn, for several weeks now, and through all the many emails I've sent (I think I've inquired about the status of near every out-of-stock polish on the site) she has been so sweet and welcoming! I feel so annoying, like a low-grade stalker, but she has been nothing but friendly bubbles and smiling rainbows. The joyful Rainbow Honey personality makes doing business with them so much fun. Too much fun, according to my terrified bank account.
If you have made it through this entire post (it feels like I've been writing forever, what day is it?), I think you deserve a Rainbow Honey treat :) And you are in luck, because they currently have a 20% off coupon, code MIXTAPE 20. I've seen reports that this ends anywhere from August 17th to August 31st; I'm not sure, so get on it! The absolute best deal is if you spend at least $65 because then you get a full size bottle of the month's limited edition (August's is "Crystal", and it looks fantastical) AND a mini mystery bag AND free shipping. Also, note that "at least $65" is BEFORE the code; music to my sale-loving ears. {http://www.rainbowhoney.com/collections/rainbow-honey-mystery-bag }
Much love and many thanks for sticking it out with me through my very first blog post!! Oohh, and remember that random galactic-themed intro? It would seem that it was more serendipitous than purely random; the Google logo of the day informs me that the Perseid Meteor Shower is swooping through the skies NOW through tomorrow, so get your sparkle-loving self outside tonight and make some wishes!!
☆ I purchased these products myself, and my opinions are expressed freely. ☆
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