Girly Bits Slushie Lips & Tips

Slushie Lips & Tips was released in May this year by Canadian indie polish maker Girly Bits as one-half of the brand's serial Color of the Month Duo. Creator Pam describes it as a bright popsicle pink with an intense pink shimmer and a very reflective, almost chrome-like finish.

The base color is a brilliant, cool, medium-dark pink with a rosy aspect that's a good match for Mexican pink. Superabundant finely-milled metallic shimmers in magenta sharpen the color to more of a shocking pink appearance, giving it a glowing, semi-metallic quality on the nail with a bold, purplish-pink flash and loads of scintillating sparkle in the sun.

Application was wonderful. The consistency of Slushie Lips & Tips is fluid, light and smooth with a medium viscosity and an easy, fluent, self-leveling slip over the nail. Pigmentation is excellent -- evenly opaque in one medium coat although I used two for this manicure. Cleanup is straightforward. Slushie Lips & Tips dries naturally in amazingly fast time to a smooth shiny finish.

Photos show two coats of Slushie Lips & Tips over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite. 

Girly Bits Slushie Lips & Tips

Girly Bits Slushie Lips & Tips

Girly Bits Slushie Lips & Tips

Girly Bits Slushie Lips & Tips

Girly Bits Slushie Lips & Tips

Girly Bits Slushie Lips & Tips

Girly Bits Slushie Lips & Tips

Such a gorgeous, showy color, a power pink! Reminds me mostly of spring and petunias, but of course is awesome for summer and I think it has the oomph to hold its own amongst winter jewel-tones as well. The flashy, semi-metallic aspect gives it an almost ecstatic quality on the nail, but the native rosiness keeps it from being too shrill or flighty and imbues it with a certain affectionate, vivacious sensibility. Sweetness with substance!

love,
Liz

Girly Bits No Fawkes Given

As of April this year, Hella Handmade Creations (HHC), formerly Hella Holo Customs, has upped its game in a big way. There is now a dedicated Hella Handmade Creations online store, where artisanal offerings by indie polish makers will be available for pre-order for a week-long window each month. You no longer need to be a member of HHC to purchase, and there will be handmade products other than nail polish available. Featured makers sign up for a series of monthly offerings centered around a theme of their choosing. Find out more about scheduled online store openings, featured makers and what products will be offered by joining HHC on Facebook!

No Fawkes Given was created by Pam of Canadian Indie Polish maker Girly Bits exclusively for the April 2018 HHC online pop-up, which ran from 14-21 April. Pam chose Harry Potter as her HHC product theme, and this polish was inspired by Fawkes the phoenix, Albus Dumbledore's animal companion, proxy, messenger and defender. It is described as "a bright red scattered holo with a golden/copper shimmer, and a slight sprinkling of gold holo microglitter."

The base color is a medium-dark crimson that is warmed by the golden/copper shimmers to more of a dense, cedary vermilion or chili red appearance with aspects of copper, flame and persimmon. It is bold, complex and intensely fiery on the nail, where finely-milled holographic pigment nuances it with hues of crimson, rust and fire brick and creates a subtle sparkly flush of orange and gold in ambient light, complemented by twinkling red, orange and gold sparks from the microglitters. In the sun, the look is blanketed with brilliant scattered prismatic sparkle in every rainbow color.

Application was most agreeable! The consistency of No Fawkes Given is fluid and surprisingly light with a medium viscosity and a fluent, smooth, self-leveling glide over the nail, a wonderful, eminently-paintable formula that is a pleasure to work with. Pigmentation is very good, netting completely even, opaque coverage in two coats. Cleanup is straightforward with a skosh of pigment travel and a little bit of shimmer and glitter stickiness. No Fawkes Given dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, shiny finish.

Photos show two coats of No Fawkes Given over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Girly Bits No Fawkes Given

Girly Bits No Fawkes Given

Girly Bits No Fawkes Given

Girly Bits No Fawkes Given

Girly Bits No Fawkes Given

Girly Bits No Fawkes Given

Girly Bits No Fawkes Given

Girly Bits No Fawkes Given

Cue the heart emoji! First, a round of applause for the name of this polish -- so clever and funny! If that alone isn't enough to generate heartfelt appreciation, the look does it with gusto -- an unconventional rusty red radiating all kinds of lively sparkle and shimmer, absolutely gorgeous! With its holographic effects, shimmers and microglitters, it's a complex, multifaceted extravaganza of fiery goodness. As perfect as it could possibly be!

love,
Liz

Girly Bits Cran-bury the Hatchet

Cran-bury the Hatchet was available during the month of November 2017 from Canadian indie polish maker Girly Bits as one-half of the brand's popular Color of the Month (COTM) Duo. Officially described as a "cranberry holo with vibrant red shimmer and flakes," the color is a medium, rosy red-violet that's similar to Pantone's magenta. Not only is this polish super holographic, but it's absolutely packed with those bright red shimmers as well, so there's a ton of color nuancing going on. The holo adds hues of misty lavender, raspberry rose and fandango to the look and gives the polish a dusky, shimmering sheen at certain angles to the light. The shimmers read as a glowy pinkish-red within the base and create a glistening semi-metallic underlay with a prominent lick of brilliant Persian rose along the axis of light. In direct light, there's a linear prismatic display that frames a swath of semi-metallic Persian rose and shades to medium magenta at the sidewalls.

Application was wonderful. The consistency of Cran-bury the Hatchet is fluid, light and smooth with a medium viscosity and an easy, fluent, self-leveling slip over the nail that likes to go on in thin-to-medium coats from a moderately loaded brush. Pigmentation is very good and will deliver evenly opaque coverage and full holo and shimmer effects in two coats. Cleanup is straightforward. Cran-bury the Hatchet dries naturally in very good time to a smooth, somewhat satiny finish. Topcoat really pops the presence and effects of the shimmers and doesn't interfere with the holographic qualities of the look in any way.

Photos show two coats of Cran-bury the Hatchet over treatment and basecoat with a topcoat of Seche Vite.

Girly Bits Cran-bury the Hatchet

Girly Bits Cran-bury the Hatchet

Girly Bits Cran-bury the Hatchet

Girly Bits Cran-bury the Hatchet

Girly Bits Cran-bury the Hatchet

Girly Bits Cran-bury the Hatchet

Girly Bits Cran-bury the Hatchet

Girly Bits Cran-bury the Hatchet

Girly Bits Cran-bury the Hatchet

The vibrancy and brilliance of those shimmers is EVERYTHING! They add a kind of Barbie pink cast to the look of the polish on the nail. Given how prominent the shimmer effects are, it's amazing how smoothly and coherently they work with the holographic properties of the polish -- the dusky, finely-grained qualities of the holo contrast with the brilliant, semi-metallic aspects of the shimmers, but they coalesce beautifully here and give this polish a unique look.

love,
Liz

Girly Bits Chrysalis

Chrysalis was created by Pam of Canadian indie polish maker Girly Bits exclusively for the "Fall Foliage and Fun" September 2017 edition of Polish Pickup. It's a shimmery light green polish containing "an array of green, lime, gold and holographic particles, multichrome flakes in blue, purple, green and gold, iridescent colour shifting flakes and a sprinkling of sparkly holographic flakes."

The look of this polish is created solely by the components, with a clear or lightly tinted transparent base. Superabundant shimmers in lime give the polish its prominent color and texture, a pale, shimmering, silvery green shade that's something like a mix of celadon and Crayola's sea foam with a minty aspect and hints of French lime, and a sandy-textured, semi-metallic finish that displays a subtle duochrome-like shift to shadowy azure edged with indigo. Tiny holographic microglitters and fine holographic microflakes mix with iridescent and multichrome flakies to create a look that is all light play, all the time: a lavish, glistening field of twinkling shimmers flecked with gleaming metallic bits and bright prismatic sparks.

Application was wonderful! The consistency of Chrysalis is fluid, light and amazingly smooth for such a component-laden polish, with a medium viscosity and a remarkably fluent, easy, self-leveling glide over the nail, a superb formula that is easy to control and finesse with Girly Bits' somewhat bushy, flattened-style brush. Coverage is provided by the components, which are dense enough to deliver even opacity in two coats. I did my cleanup as I went along and had no issues. Chrysalis dries naturally in very good time to a gently textured finish, easily smoothed with topcoat.

Photos show two coats of Chrysalis over KBShimmer Fillin' Groovy basecoat with a topcoat of Girly Bits Glitter Glaze.

Girly Bits Chrysalis

Girly Bits Chrysalis

Girly Bits Chrysalis

Girly Bits Chrysalis

Girly Bits Chrysalis

Girly Bits Chrysalis

Girly Bits Chrysalis

Girly Bits Chrysalis

All of that light play gives this polish an airy, ethereal, almost otherworldly presence on the nail. It's a tour de force of creativity and composition, inspired by Pam's own photo of the chrysalis of a monarch butterfly.

Very cool! 

love,
Liz

Girly Bits Jive Talkin'

So I thought I'd gone through all of my Girly Bits Sequins and Satin Pants polishes. Not true! I just discovered one more, a mislaid beauty hiding out on a shelf in my (very cluttered) office -- Jive Talkin'. This is, of course, named for the BeeGee's 1975 comeback hit "Jive Talkin'." 

Described as a chartreuse jelly holo filled with holo microglitters, shimmers and holographic flakes, this polish happens to match the chartreuse linen pants I'm wearing. Must be fate! The color is inclined to the yellow end of chartreuse's yellow/green spectrum, a bright greenish-yellow hue with an edgy, modern vibe. Metallic shimmers read as golden green within the base, giving the polish a semi-metallic underlay irrepressibly spangled with sparks of turquoise, orange and gold from the microglitters, while abundant ultrafine holographic pigment dimensionalizes the base color with analogous hues of lemon and light olive. In the sun, it's a miniature prismatic glitterball on each nail. Perfect!

Application was fantastic. The consistency of Jive Talkin' is fluid and remarkably light and smooth for a component-laden polish, with a medium viscosity and a fluent, easy glide over the nail, a delightful formula that is super easy to control with Girly Bits' flexible flattened-style brush. Pigmentation is good. The base is sheer but the components help with the coverage. Still, I'd say three coats to be sure of most even opacity. I used two for this manicure, and there's a noticeable sheer patch on my middle finger nail. In person, it's not noticeable, but the camera picked it up clearly. Cleanup is best done as you go along, watch out for sticky glitters! Jive Talkin' dries naturally in very good time to a sandy-textured finish, reasonably smoothed by a gel-effect or dedicated glitter-smoothing topcoat.

Photos show two coats of Jive Talkin' over basecoat with a topcoat of Girly Bits Glitter Glaze.

Girly Bits Jive Talkin'

Girly Bits Jive Talkin'

Girly Bits Jive Talkin'

Girly Bits Jive Talkin'

Girly Bits Jive Talkin'

Girly Bits Jive Talkin'

Girly Bits Jive Talkin'

Girly Bits Jive Talkin'

Girly Bits Jive Talkin'

Like the other Sequins and Satin Pants polishes, Jive Talkin' is big fun and I love it. Such a wonderful, happy bunch of lacquers, mood-lifters, every one! If I didn't blog, I'd be wearing these all summer long. 

love,
Liz

Girly Bits Hot Stuff

Like Stayin' Alive and Brick House, Hot Stuff was released in May this year by Canadian indie polish maker Girly Bits as part of the disco-themed Sequins and Satin Pants collection. This one gets its name from the 1979 song "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer (RIP). 

Described as a hot pink jelly holo with holographic microglitters, shimmers and holographic flakes, this is a gorgeous, ebullient shade. It's very bright and opaque and a little rosier than what I generally think of for hot pink, perhaps due to the fact that it's packed with rosy pink shimmers, but the intensity of the color is not at all shrill. To my eye, it's similar to rose bonbon, but slightly lighter and warmer, with suggestions of a neon pink's reddish tinge around the edges. Abundant finely milled holographic pigment dimensionalizes it with hues of ultra pink, French pink, raspberry and hints of red-violet, and the metallic pink shimmers create a bright semi-metallic pink underlay that rises to the surface in certain circumstances. The holographic microglitters twinkle in shades of pink and purple through the base in ambient light and, along with the holo flakies, erupt into a dazzling field of prismatic sparkle in the sun. 

Application was just as brilliant as the color. The consistency of Hot Stuff is fluid and dense with a medium-to-thicker viscosity to which I added a couple of squirts of polish thinner to at the outset. Thinned, it had a lush, eminently-paintable, self-leveling glide over the nail that goes on naturally in medium coats. Pigmentation is outstanding. It's essentially a one-coater, but a second does deepen the color just a hair. I highly recommend doing any necessary cleanup as you go along to avoid sticky glitters. Hot Stuff dries naturally in good time to the kind of gently textured finish that Girly Bits' Glitter Glaze topcoat was made to smooth. It's the perfect topcoat for these Sequins and Satin Pants polishes, I can't say enough good things about it!

Photos show two coats of Hot Stuff over ÜNT peel-off basecoat with a topcoat of Girly Bits Glitter Glaze.

Girly Bits Hot Stuff

Girly Bits Hot Stuff

Girly Bits Hot Stuff

Girly Bits Hot Stuff

Girly Bits Hot Stuff

Girly Bits Hot Stuff

Girly Bits Hot Stuff

Girly Bits Hot Stuff

Girly Bits Hot Stuff

Girly Bits Hot Stuff

Girly Bits Hot Stuff

Girly Bits Hot Stuff

Girly Bits Hot Stuff

I love high-spirited rosy pinks like this! I think of them as "petunia pinks" -- they have a certain creamy, floral quality that I find especially engaging and gregarious, and this one has the added lushness of the holographic properties plus the sparkly exuberance of the glitters. It's fabulous! I should have expected that, based on the other two I've tried, but it still surprised (and delighted) me. Yet again, I am smitten!

This is the last of the Sequins and Satin Pants polishes that I purchased. If you've not picked up any of them yet yourself, I can tell you with surety that they will not disappoint you. I am thrilled with the three that I got and if my personal stash wasn't so massive I'd be all over the other four. Truly an excellent collection, one of my favorites so far this year. Don't forget the Glitter Glaze!

love,
Liz