franken-polish "Laughing Aspen"

Happy Fall-Back Day!  No matter how many times it happens, I still find this day so bewildering.  It's such a strange thing to do, really.

I've been very much into the seasonal vibe when I've been frankening so far, and one of my favorite things about autumn are yellow aspen leaves!  We don't have terribly many aspen or birch or poplars right here in Western Montana, but I treasure the golden autumn laughter of each one.  Aspen are my very favorite trees, and I've been stockpiling an improbably long list of polish ideas inspired by their autumnal state alone.  This is my first attempt, guided and inspired by the image below!

"Autumn Gold" by Adam Schallau

>>> Laughing Aspen <<<

franken-polish "Pumpkin Juice" {inspired by Harry Potter}

BOO!!!  It's been a while.  A year and a month and a week and a day, or so.  I wasn't actually planning on blogging again, truth be told.  I posted my last post three days before I bought my house, and everything just got wilder from there.  It's been an astonishing year!  A lot of things have changed, but my love of polish and color and wonderment hasn't.  I did discover a different angle on it, though, and that's what brings me back here.

My third Helmer was overflowing (I know, I know), and I had all this drugstore/mainstream/dupes/etc. polish that wasn't getting enough love.  I wondered, could they be upcycled, rediscovered, reborn?  I had long dreamed of creating my own lacquers...  And thus, yet another craftsy obsession ignited my imagination.

The frankening bug has hit me hard these past few weeks since I started.  I've made over forty frankens already... jeepers!  Halloween seems an appropriate occasion to debut my first franken polish monster, so without further ado...

>>> Pumpkin Juice <<<

Springtime Giveaway!!! Sephora Formula X "Inspiring" + Nails Inc. London "Floral Street Mews"

In two months from this very day, I will have finished my last college exam, quarter, degree EVER (hopefully ever, anyway).  TWO MONTHS.  There is still so much to do before that time but my joy of anticipation cannot be eclipsed.

Two months left of school for me... so how about two polishes of springtime joy for you??!!  IT'S GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

Happy April, by the way!  It's been pretty quiet on Tiny Twinklings lately, and likely the crickets will only keep chirping these next couple months as I careen towards graduation.  Many readers will know by this time that I am an architecture student at the University of Oregon, and am currently hammering out my thesis studio project (topic: architecture for happiness / typology: community center / location: Anchorage, AK).  The enormous importance of this project, by necessity and yet to my dismay, has begun to preclude energies dedicated to this beloved blog, but I wanted to assure my darling readers that however infrequently I manage to get posts up in this final, frantic interval of college, once the mortar board has flown, Tiny Twinklings will be BACK.

This giveaway is my way of thanking you, my precious Twinklings, for sticking with me through the thick and thin of my first half year of blogging!  Your thoughts and comments especially bring an amazing community energy to Tiny Twinklings, and so I owe a very special thank you to many dear, familiar faces out there.

I also want to extend my warmest welcome to new faces bringing fresh life to this blog- twinkle on!!  Since Tiny Twinklings' inception, my greatest rewards have been the wonderful and invaluable opportunities to come to know some of my fellow nairies, and as this adventure continues I am very excited to know more and more of you, so welcome, welcome!!!

I have been impatiently looking forward to hosting a giveaway for what feels like a VERY long time, so let's get started, shall we??!

The prize: a cheerful and charming duet of old spring favorites, as the season comes into full bloom!!  One lucky reader will win Sephora Formula X "Inspiring" (a pearlescent turquoise shimmer) and Nails Inc. London "Floral Street Mews" (a floral glitter topper with peach, white, and sky blue pearl glitters in hexes and blossoms).  This first giveaway will be open to the United States only.  (To my 9% international readers, joining us from as far away as Iraq to Lithuania to Belgium to South Africa: first of all, WOW!  I am so honored to have you with us, and am determined to improve my giveaway sophistication so that all my highly-valued Twinklings will have the opportunity to win fun things in the future!!)

This giveaway will be open for two weeks, starting now until Saturday, April 25, 2015 at 11:59PM Pacific Time.  You must be 18 years of age or older to enter, please.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck, Twinklings!! ♥

I wish I thought to bring my own bottles of these beautiful flower-ful polishes with me to Oregon to model for you, but alas!  In addition to an enormous deficit of time, I also broke a nail to the quick the other week (the nubs are growing back surprisingly quick, but for a while there I didn't even recognize my own hands!), and then last week broke one of my full-spectrum lamps; idk what the deal is, it's just been one big hot mess around here.  So I've just been casually enjoying my favorite season for polish (I'm really such a spring), and dreaming of summer... and freedom :)

XOXO
Marisa + Sprinklepuff

These prizes are provided and were purchased by me for the purposes of this giveaway.

Sephora Formula X "Alchemy" & China Glaze "Golden Seal"

Happy Fifth Day of Christmas, loves!  I didn't even realize that we are already halfway through the Twelve Days of Christmas until an hour and a half ago, and even though I have a terrifying mountain of holiday swatches sitting on my desktop dying to be posted, I just had to make last minute room for these ones in honor of them *five ... golden ... rings*!!!!!

China Glaze "Golden Seal" + Sephora Formula X "Alchemy"

Sephora Formula X "Alchemy"

China Glaze "Golden Seal" + Sephora Formula X "Alchemy"

M.A.C. "Formidable!" & Sephora Formula X "Legend" comparison swatches

Happy Monday, Twinklings!!  We have already seen M.A.C. "Formidable!" in a previous review, paired up with Picture Polish "Rocky" for some bling-y Rocky Horror Picture Show goodness, but I figured, eh, what the heck, it's on my nails, might as well take some pictures.  In the process, I couldn't help but notice a slight similarity to another great polish that you can snag for an awesome deal right now... Sephora Formula X "Legend"!

M.A.C. "Formidable!" vs. Sephora Formula X "Legend"

M.A.C. "Formidable!"

Sephora Formula X "Capricious" - Ombré Glitters Limited Edition

Happy Hump Day, mes chéries!  Have I just been exceptionally unobservant in the past, or have the holidays started early this year??  I couldn't believe it when I started hearing Christmas music a few days ago.  I mean, I absolutely LOVE the winter holidays, but ahem hello, what about November, guys?  With Christmas now oozing into September the pace of the year has accelerated enormously, so much so that the seasons have become depressingly muddled.  I know that fashion is always likes to keep ahead of the times, but as we jump from one season to the next more and more aggressively I kind of just want to switch it all off, and breathe deeply of the present.  Autumn in particular suffers from the commercial interests overeager to jumpstart holiday shopping, which is a shame because autumn is such a beautiful, comforting season to slow down and just enjoy.  So that's exactly what I'm going to do, darlings: while the temptation is strong to start showing you all of the new holiday delights that have long since flooded the cosmetics market, I'm going to hold out on all that until December (and to be honest, I won't have time this month in any case!).  In the meantime, what do you think about focusing on the present moment, and savoring this gorgeous autumn to the fullest capacity?  :)

Late last month Sephora released a new limited edition Formula X line: The Ombré Glitters!  Oohlala, the sparkle.  Now that I've made my whole season-fidelity stand, I have to admit this may be intended as a winter holiday release, though I haven't really seen it billed as that.  It certainly is glitzy enough to be, though!!  Formula X does have a set of four minis, and one gold-capped polish (!) called "Alchemy", that are explicitly holiday limited edition, if you want something extra festive.  There are five Ombrés in total, and today I have for you "Capricious".

Sephora Formula X "Capricious"

Candy Lacquer : Halloween 2014 "Bloody Unicorn" swatches

Happy Funday, Twinklings!  Just a few days now to Halloween; that in itself is kinda scary!  How time flies.  Now seems a fine time to look at some more spooky polishes, don't you think??  You might remember "Pumpkin Fairy" from back in September, and "Bloody Unicorn" is part of the same Halloween collection!

Candy Lacquer "Bloody Unicorn"

Candy Lacquer : Halloween 2014 : "Pumpkin Fairy"

Hello, lovelies!!  In the spirit of the deepening autumn, I have a darling polish for you today from Candy Lacquer's 2014 Halloween collection.  Happy news: they are glow-in-the-dark for extra spooky fabulousness!  Naturally, my immediate favorite of the bunch was "Pumpkin Fairy".  I just love the idea of a pumpkin fairy.  I imagine her plump and motherly, and never without muffins or pies or warm creamy soup for anyone who wanders by her quaint thatched cottage nestled in the autumn woods.  I think she would knit cozy things with thick plooshy wool, and have a fat little Welsh corgi.  Her garden patch would always have at least one glossy, fat pumpkin at the ready, just in case some damsel in distress should need a carriage for the royal ball.  And she would never be seen without this polish on her nails!

Candy Lacquer "Pumpkin Fairy"

Sephora Formula X "Moon Glow" + Ciaté "Risky Business"

You know how sometimes a color is so beautiful and entrancing that all reason is eclipsed by lust and, despite what anyone says about how terrible it actually is, you just can't resist?  I should have just left the word "color" as a blank, and let that paradigm apply itself to every single situation in life.  Heels.  You know you'll hate yourself in three hours, but damn don't your calves look good.  Ice Cream. [That's all.]  Cute little fluffy dogs.  You think you can live with the yapping; by 3am you mean murder; then you look into their sweet poofy face... and it starts again.  Similarly with love interests, minus the barking (unless perhaps you have a particularly hoarse-voiced honey).  "Moon Glow" was like this for me; a siren song.  But I mean, can't you see the temptation?? 

Sephora Formula X "Moon Glow" & Ciaté "Risky Business"