franken-polish "Molly Weasley" {inspired by Harry Potter}

The other day I randomly, without searching or planning or really even thinking about it, pulled China Glaze "Glimmer More" and Wet n' Wild "Undercover" out of my "for frankening" box together, and I thought, PERFECT.  It was immediate chemistry.  A beautiful blushing fall bouquet!  I'd been intrigued by "Glimmer More" as an autumnal component, but hadn't quite thought about how I might use it, and then it all came together at once.  I added China Glaze "Material Girl" for rosy sparkle, and Milani "Golden Romance" for a luminous glow.  It turned out exactly like I hadn't yet imagined!

After I was done, I thought about what I should name this autopilot franken, and the retrofitted inspiration came to me as quickly and effortlessly as the creation had: Molly Weasley!  Molly Weasley, the magical mother of six assorted wizards and one brave witch; warm, generous, fiery Molly with the heart of a lioness.  She is a woman brimming over with cozy sunshine and a fierce protectiveness for those she loves.  It's a glowing love that I thought this franken exuded with great joy ♥️

>>> Molly Weasley <<<

 

Molly Weasley

Hare Polish "Desperately Seeking Blue Skies"

Happy weekend, darlings!  Blue skies are all around me today, so I'm wearing this joyful, optimistic lacquer for good luck while seeking a different kind of "blue sky"... a first house!  I didn't even know that is what realtors, or at least, my realtor, call(s) a "property with potential" until he mentioned casually it today.  The prophetic nature of that coincidence didn't quite pan out for today, but this is only the beginning so I'm hopeful for blue skies ahead yet :)

WingDust Collections "Roads Untravelled"

Happy WingDust Wednesday, Twinklings!  (Didn't know this was a thing until just now but I'm pretty excited about it :D )  I'm back in the lower 48 with a few more untraveled Alaskan roads now traveled, and while it was all pretty flippin' fantastic, I gotta say, it's good to be home.  So now that I'm all vacation-ed out, I think it makes sense (??) that I feature all possible travel-themed indie polishes in this next sorta free but yet still busy week before I start my *big girl job*.  This darling one arrived in the mail while I was away, and the moment I clapped eyes on it I just couldn't resist wearing it first thing!

Hare Polish "On the Road Again"

Hello darling Twinklings! I really am on the road again (or in the air, rather), and I thought it fitting that I am typing this particular post from the Seattle Airport en route to my summer holiday in Alaska!! And just in time, too; I'm in the mood for exploring :)

>> On the Road Again << 

"On the Road Again" is a nomad mauve crelly dusted with burnished copper shimmers, lacy white hex glitters, icy iridescent film glitter, and UCC flakies shifting from gilded bronze to mossy green, and on precious occasions to peacock blue. This muted balance of dusty lilac and vintage rose is quietly feminine, though the sun-drenched metallic and frost-sheathed crystalline elements evoke an unexpectedly intrepid nature- a delightful twist on an old classic. The result is an impressively versatile manicure that could sip sweet tea with a demure Southern belle, and then just as easily dance in the desert with a gypsy wanderer, festival music in the air and swaying feathers in her hair. Free-spirited and timeless, like an age-old daydream.

HARE lacquers are consistently of the highest caliber in terms of both composition and formula, and "On the Road Again" is no exception. This glitter crelly applied very evenly, and dried quickly (always a merciful and cherished quality in this restless soul's polishes). I used three coats in my swatches for full layered impact, though two layers were also quite satisfactory. The surface dries smooth and fairly glossy, necessitating only one layer of topcoat. I used my new summer favorite, Rainbow Honey "Twisted Ice Tea" scented topcoat, and loved its blissful synergy with this polish :)

"On the Road Again" debuted this spring 2015 as part of the Stir Crazy Collection. HARE Polish may be purchased at their Etsy shop or online etailer Llarowe. (Apologizes for the absence of helpful links; I am typing this on my tablet, and have not yet aspired the sophistication of inserting links on the Blogger app interface :/ At this time of writing, I am not even yet sure how to insert pics, but if you are reading this now then I have been successful in that particular endeavor and am doubtless very pleased with myself, teehee.)

Anyone else on the road again this summer??


XOXO
Marisa + Sprinklepuff

Hare Polish: "Oh What Fun It Is To Love" + "Test Your Love!" + "Love You To Pieces!"

Happy happy Friday, gorgeous!!  The ominous 13th it may be, but for myself, I am looking forward to a peachy Valentine's Day tomorrow, and choosing to disregard the sinister portents.  What's a superstitious day against an auspiciously delightful polish on the nails, anyway?  And if you're needing some ideas for a love lacquer to suit your Valentine mood, well, I might have some ideas... :)  Are you a natural beauty in need of a cozy, rosy hue?  A fearless flirt for whom only bright and bold will do?  Or perhaps, an enigmatic temptress, glimmering in the sultry darkness?  Or, are you something else entirely...?

For inspiration, I have assembled all of my *love*-themed Hares, and mood-wise, they run the gamut, but they do have a few things in common: dazzle power, and awesomeness.  They are especially precious to me because they were all first worn and loved by my most favoritest Lacquer Slacker Liz.  Each time I indulge in sporting one of these HARE polish treasures, I am simply in awe of her generosity in sharing these stunning creations with me, and feel like if anyone is channeling Cupid's divine spirit this year, it would be darling Liz for uniting me and HARE in true lacquer lurv :]

Hare Polish "Oh What Fun It Is To Love"

Hare Polish "Test Your Love!"

Hare Polish "Test Your Love!"

Hare Polish "Love You To Pieces!"

Hare Polish "Love You To Pieces!"

 

♥ * ♥ * ♥

Rainbow Honey: January 2015 Mystery Bag!

Hello there, fairy friends!  Long time, no nothing, I know.  It has been a busy and wonderful week, exploring Portland and the Oregon Coast with my darling man, but as he returned to Montana so did I return to reality (including the dwindling window of primary relevance for this post, haha).  I now have both a mystery bag subscription and my change-of-address in order, so next month should be much more timely, Twinklings!!  And so, on that harried note, I present the January Mystery Bag (WHEEE)!!

Hare Polish "Wonderland Wanderlust"

Hello, darlings!!  I have a very special polish to show you today, and not just because it is a Hare Polish, a rare "vintage" harkening back from the Bohemian Holiday collection in 2013.  No, this is a particular treasure because this very bottle was first swatched and so lovingly described by an extraordinary lady and blogger that I admire so much: Lacquer Slacker Liz!!  The final memory-laden paragraphs of her "Wonderland Wonderlust" review actually made my breath catch; there are few things I love better than concise prose that evokes such insight, such feeling, with a poetic and elegantly understated clarity, as Liz does so well in her exquisite recollections.  There is something about artistic expressions that are so en pointe, so precise, that manage to inspire the greatest emotive response in me with the most minimal explication... these are the things that I find the most enrapturing.  It's something that I love about nail polish, and color in general: it is so simple and unassuming a thing, and yet it speaks volumes, tells stories, weaves images.  In architecture we call it doing the most with the least, and it is a beautiful balance indeed.

This polish strikes this balance and tells its tale with captivating ease.  Wandering in wonderlands, especially in winter, is one of my most favorite pastimes, and Hare Polish mastermind Nikole represents it brilliantly with this woodland tapestry, nearly cognizant with its imagery of red berries and rustling botanicals, of shifting lights through the trees as the sky deepens into heavy dusk.

May & Freyja, cavorting in wonderland

FREYJA CUDDLE CHARGE

Laquerlicious "Snow Much Love!" & Serum No. 5 "Snow In Love"

Happy King's Day, kittens!  Well, this is it I suppose.  Even I can't stubbornly sustain the holiday season any longer.  Not that I won't probably still be posting "winter celebration" type posts now and then, since I still have some holiday swatches out on my desktop ether... hope y'all don't mind!  Winter break didn't exactly proceed as planned, and now that I am back in Oregon and school is in full march, I haven't had and won't have terribly much time for posting  :(  Until June, my thesis studio owns my soul.  And then it will all be over, mwahaha haha!!!

Well so anyways, yesterday marked the Twelfth Day of Christmas, and today is the official End of All Seasonal Splendor, therefore I am determined to squish in my Christmas Day polish pick, plus my Twelfth Night lacquer look.  Snow and love are two of my very favorite things, so of course I was powerless to resist these charming polishes!!  If these two were not insentient bottles of chemical and color, I would guess that, should they meet, they would be the most bestest of friends.

Christmas Eve NOTD: Girly Bits "Eggnogaholic" + Orly "Halo"

You know, I'm not usually all that into eggnog, but I was having a lovely tea time with my dear friend Grace yesterday, and kind of rediscovered the eggnog magic.  Every time I have gone to make tea during the last week I would look in the fridge at the eggnog, and ask whoever happened to be nearby if they thought a dash of it would be good in tea, and everyone unanimously was like ew no gross Marisa, what the blazes are you thinking, but then yesterday I finally just went for it because whatever YOLO and, you know what?  It was absolutely amazing.  I made everyone in the house try it, and they all agreed that it was delicious.  A big ol' mugfull of hot water steeped in Celestial Seasonings Nutcracker Sweet black tea, plus equal parts eggnog and skim milk, plus a bit of agave nectar for extra sugar with that spice... heaven.

Unfortunately, today when I went to recreate my scrumptious treat, I was quietly devastated to discover that we were out of both Nutcracker Sweet and eggnog.  :(  Bigelow Eggnoggin' black & green tea blend was just not the same.

Thankfully I have a beautiful eggnog confection that my giant, college-football-playing brother cannot devour, like he does any and all other edible things: the aptly-named glitter crelly by Girly Bits, which served as the base for my Christmas Eve manicure.  Inspired by snow angels, shining stars, and all things beautiful and bright, I was and am so in love with these heavenly lacquers together in seraphic harmony.

Different Dimension "Christmas At Tiffany's"

Hello, dahling!  So charming of you to drop by.  If you'll believe it, Fred dear, I only watched "Breakfast At Tiffany's" for the first time a few weeks ago.  I'm not generally one for old movies, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it and how often it made me laugh.  Okay so yes, Holly Golightly is a little aggravating, and the macho 60's rendition of romance a little alarming (no, Holly, I will NOT unhand you in the public library, and yes, I WILL physically shake you until you are agreeable), but that and the creepy Doc character aside, it was quite lovely!  ;)

If I were to pick my favorite part of the film, it would be this polish!  Probably that technically shouldn't count, but hey, my blog, my rules, so "Christmas At Tiffany's" it is.  It's the second of my Different Dimension holiday collection polishes that I've worn so far, the first being "No One Elsa But You" as reviewed here, and wow, Missi is really taking it away with these gorgeously frosted, festive lacquers.

"Did I ever tell you how divinely and utterly happy I am?" ...with a good, sparkling, shimmering aqua on my nails?  ♥

Laquerlicious "Warm Sugar Cookies" Holiday 2014

Sprinklepuff want a cookie?  Sprinklepuff is a unicorn- Sprinklepuff DEFINITELY wants a cookie.  I'm sure many of you have been confused by this mysterious Sprinklepuff, but rest assured; the lovely Casey of Glittering Elements and I are working on something special in honor of my favorite magical friend, and when it is finished, we will get to meet Sprinklepuff at last!!  ♥

Sprinklepuff and I are both in luck because there are literally mounds of delicious holiday cookies in my kitchen right now.  The holidays just aren't the holidays unless sugar is absolutely everywhere, amirite?  And then there's this polish, which is like cookie camouflage in the Christmas goodie (Candy Cane) forest.  Those cookies aren't even going to know what's coming until... OM NOM NOM.     . .. . ... (crumbs.  . .. . these are crumbs. .. . . {Sprinklepuff hungee} .. . ...)

Laquerlicious "Warm Sugar Cookies"

❄ * ♥ * ❄ * ♥ * ❄

Glam Polish "In Summer" {Frozen: Day 2}

"Winter's a good time to stay in and cuddle, but put me in summer and I'll be a... HAPPY SNOWMAN!!!"  Oh, Olaf.

"IN SUMMER!!"

Well, my demanding friend Miss Grace insisted upon some Olaf, so Olaf Grace shall get! :)  Today's Frozen-inspired polish comes to us from the magnificent Glam Polish out of Australia, and was part of their *You're Never Too Old To Be Young* collection, released this past August.  It may technically be about summer, but to me this is a most perfect encapsulation of a winter wonderland!!

Glam Polish "In Summer"

Serum No. 5 - fall polish swatches [Twilight Sparks, Sleepy Holo, Second Spring]

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." - Albert Camus 

Happy Sunday, Twinklings!!  I've had these swatches sitting around for aaa-ages, and it suddenly occurred to me that I could maybe, I dunno, do something with them :)

Serum No. 5:  a few spontaneous polishes from various fall collections

Gloss n' Sparkle "Can't Even Breathe" ... and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRACIE!!!

Today is a very, very special day indeed: the birthday of my best friend for 16 years (!)!!  We used to joke that we'd still have abs if we didn't do a single crunch, because when we're together we tend to spiral into a haze of such silliness that we literally can't even breathe for laughter.  Just being with my Grace is as good as a cocktail (and probably better!) for feeling giddy and invincible.  Twin Vulpixes on the playground in second grade (make that twin everything, everywhere, all through elementary school).  Pizza dough.  Regularly running down the street as "fat ladies" (sorry, Sara, for ruthlessly stretching out your non-fat-lady yoga clothes with pillows.  You are the best).  Countless home videos, including a memorable cooking tutorial in which I, Granny Pudge, capture Grace, space alien, from under the trampoline/UFO for assistance in 1) reheating canned split pea soup, and 2) botching a box-mix chocolate cake.  Meeting halfway.  Randomly finding loose wolf dogs all over the place, and making friends with them (after recovering from terror).  Sleepovers- billions of sleepovers.  Taking pride in being the most aggressive forwards in Y Soccer; no seriously, we were like wild animals.  Accidental early morning mall walking.  Hair crimping.  Bowling like monsters with seizures- has it been twice now that you've managed to get your ball two lanes over??  Unprecedented.  Y dances, and those butch smoking girls that about ended us for our reckless cheek.  Tirelessly trolling CVS for magical serum to make my frizz go away (just ditch the Suave shampoo and you'll be golden).  A certain egg-like person, and the drama that is middle school orchestra.  That one time we watched that terrible bachelor reality show Flavor of Love for six straight hours, and were like, what just happened to us?  Battling through the convoluted mess that is high school.  The Notebook.  Boyfriends.  Foot baths.  Fish bowls.  Matching color obsessions.  Pretending to be grown up... instantly regressing whenever we are reunited.  I love you, girl.  I've given it my best shot, but really... there are no words.

* XOXO *

Gloss n' Sparkle "Can't Even Breathe"