I must have been living under a rock or maybe I hit my head on a rock and developed amnesia, because I’m not sure why I’ve waited so long to buy my first Native War Paints (NWP). Welp, now that I have made my initial purchase, I want to share my swatches and review of Heliotrope in the Garden and Watermelon Bubblegum (sold out).
Heliotrope in the Garden is part of the Purple Reign Collection and while all of them are beautiful, this one caught my eye from all the gorgeous swatches I had seen in FB and IG. This purple has red undertones with a blue shimmer. Shown here in 2 coats, this polish is completely opaque in 2-3 coats.
Originally released for the March 2016 Candy Shop Monthly Mystery Box, Watermelon Bubblegum is currently sold out in the clearance section of the NWP site. This neon-ish, coral with a beautiful orange shimmer is a must have for the summer. Shown here in 2 coats, this polish is completely opaque in 2-3 coats.
I guess it goes without saying that this will not be my last purchase from NWP. What are some of your favorites Native War Paints? For you purple polish fanatics, YOU MUST HAVE Heliotrope in the Garden. I hope you all like my swatches and review of these of amazing polishes and join me back here for more.
Hey, I’m out of town this weekend but couldn’t leave you with out a Monday post! So todays post is an old challenge mani courtesy of When Colors Collide on FB. This color challenge based group, allows members create a mani incorporating the colors given. Challenges run every two weeks and at the end, a collage is created and posted to IG. Its a lot of fun so make sure to head on over to join. I didn’t do pictures at each step, so I’m going to do my best to describe what I did.
I applied a single thin base coat of Yo Soy (the lightest of the browns) to my nails
Next I applied liquid latex around my cuticle and side wall
I added Yo Soy, Spencer and Louise, from lightest to darkest in a diagonal pattern to my dry cosmetic wedge
While the base coat was still a little tacky, I sponged on the polish to each finger one at a time.
I applied another layer of polish to the wedge right over the previous polish layer
I repeated steps 5 and 6 until I reached my desired opacity
Once I was happy with the diagonal ombre, I applied a coat of Seche Vite and allowed to dry.
During my dry time, I selected my stamping plate and polish.
Once the polish was dry, I stamped my design on to each finger, removed latex and cleaned up.
Finally, I applied my last coat of Seche Vite and allowed to dry.
Couldn’t forget to oil up and take pictures.
Again, my bad for not getting pictures each step of the way, hopefully you could follow long. what are some of your favorite color combos? I hope you enjoyed this quick tutorial and will join me for the next edition in Challenge Nails.
Hey ya’all, I’m back yet again with another swatch & review!!! Before we get into it, I need you to repeat after me…Lindsey Buck….one more time….Lindsey Buck. Now….Tonic Nail Polish….one more time…..Tonic Nail Polish. It’s THE name and brand that you want to commit to memory. Why? Because these swatches you’re about to see will absolutely take your breathe away. Her 5-free polishes are gorgeous and her debut launch collection is something you don’t want to miss.
So let’s get all formalities out of the way, the following swatches are taken in artificial light, without base coat (except Huckleberry Sparkle since I decided to wear…lol) and topped with Quick Dry High Gloss Top Coat by Pro-FX.
Set/Individual: Selling as individual bottles. $1 discount per bottle will be available when purchasing all 8 polishes ($80 instead of $80)
Shipping: within U.S. and Canada HOWEVER, international shipping may be considered on a case by case basis, please contact Lindsey for details.
Rainbow Fish
Rainbow Fish (207) is described as “a tropical turquoise jelly base with linear holographic pigment, silver holographic micro glitters, pink/gold/green shifting multi chrome flakes and a whisper of purple highlight.” Shown in 3 even coats for no VNL, the formula is easy to work with and polish dried smooth.
Price: $12
Dragons at Dusk
Dragons at Dusk (830 is “a dark peacock-blue jelly base with a strong emerald/blue/violet shifting multi chrome summer.” Shown here completely opaque in 2 coats, the formula is smooth like a baby’s bottom and dries quick with a shiny finish
Price: $12
Alexandria’s Genesis
Alexandria’s Genesis (79) is “a creamy bright pink-violet with dreamy blue shimmer.” Shown here in 3 even coats for no VNL, this polish dries with a dull shine. The formula on this one is easy to work with and applies smooth. No streaky brush lines in this shimmer!
Price: $10
Enchanted Elixir
Enchanted Elixir (52) is described as “a navy jelly base with strong pink/gold/green shifting multi chrome shimmer and holographic gold micro glitters.” Shown here in 2 coats, this polish dries smooth with a semi-shiny finish. The formula on this polish is thick but easy to work with and self leveling.
Price: $12
Light of Lyra
Light of Lyra (111) is “a creamy bright purple with strong aqua shimmer.” Shown here in 3 coats and no VNL, the formula is perfection and dries quickly with a semi-shiny finish. Once again, there is no streakiness most shimmers are known for.
Price: $10
Lava Lust
Lava Lust (60) is “a red jelly base with copper-orange metallic shimmer.” Again, formula is perfect for a shimmer and goes on easy and smooth. Shown here in 2 coats, no VNL and dries to a semi-shiny finish.
Price: $10
Tides of Perseid
Tides of Perseid (143) is “a plum wine jelly base with aqua/violet shifting shimmer, blue/red shifting sparkles, and holographic gold and silver micro glitters.” Shown here in 2 coats and no VNL, this polishes also dries with a semi-shiny finish. Application and formula is easy and smooth.
Price: $12
Huckleberry Sparkle
Huckleberry Sparkle (224) is described as a blue-purple base with a strong red shimmer and silver holo microglitter. Shown here in 2 coats for no VNL, this polish has a smooth formula. As with the others, it dried semi-shiny and applies evenly. I received Huckleberry Sparkle after the others and ending up wearing it for about 48 hours. There was absolutely no wear at the tips (I type all day) and removed easily with pure acetone remover.
Price: $10
The answer is ‘yes’, you will need all of them…hehehe! Upon opening the box I thought I had a favorite, that quickly changed as I applied them and saw how beautiful each of them are. The formulas are amazeballs, you can tell Lindsay spent a lot of time perfecting them. Don’t forget, Lindsey Buck! Tonic Nail Polish! Debut Collection releasing June 26th @ 2pm CST! You’ve probably noticed that there are no direct click links to her Etsy store, so join Tonics’ FB fan page and follow on Instagram to make sure you stay up to date.
Eeeekkkkkk!!! I’m so excited to bring you this interview!!! You may remember in Ladies Behind the Polish, I talked about having the opportunity to swatch for a few amazing indie brands? You remember, I told you to stay tuned for my in-depth interviews with them so you could find out all about the brands that we have come to know and love? Ringing bells now, good, because today I have another special treat in my interview series, the duo from Jior Coutour, Sacha Junique and Ari Jiordan!!!!!
There’s something special about a mother and daughter team, I just cant put my finger on it at the moment but these ladies have IT! What started as selling polish at home parties and on Facebook in 2010, quickly grew to an empire for Sacha and Ari and this mother-daughter duo have never looked back. Besides beauty, talent, intelligence and a go-getter attitude, these 2 make beautiful polishes and offer a wide range of products including top & base coats, glass nail files & cuticle pushers, sugar scrubs and skin butter. Recently, I worked with Sacha to create a wonderful custom gray polish for May’s Brain Tumor Awareness month. The polish, appropriately named Michael, is remembrance of my dad who passed in 2014 from brain cancer. I was looking for the perfect gray color and she captured it, so I say all that to say, if you need customs, Jior Coutour is an amazing brand to work with.
So lets jump right into the fun that you came here for. without further ado, allow me to present Sacha Junique and Ari Jiordan!!!!!!!
photo provided courtesy of Ari Jiordan
Q: Why did you decide to start a nail polish line?
Sacha: Since Ari was about 3 or 4, we were getting weekly mani/pedis. When all the info about the “big 3” came into the news, we stopped going.
Ari: I really missed having that time with my mom. I was around 5 or 6 years old and I remember saying to my mom, “If only we could make our own safe polishes.” That’s how Jior Couture began.
Q: What makes your brand different?
Ari: When it comes to naming and creating new lacquers, my mom lets me have so much creative freedom. We’re truly a mother-daughter team, we have business meetings where we talk about 1 yr, 5 yr and 10 yr plans. We go over budgets, and new collections. We put so much thought and love into what we do. When we get emails from our customers saying how much they love their Jior mail, from the product to our signature wrapping paper, it’s great! I know we’re doing something great. We’ve also started ‘Swatcher Spotlight’. With this, we get to showcase our absolutely talented swatchers AND donate to charity.
Sacha: What other nail polish line has a 12 year old co-owner?
Q: What is one thing you’re willing to share that your customers would be surprised to know about you?
Sacha: I love to break out in song and dance. No matter where I am I could break out in the running man (and I mean the ‘REAL’ running man)
Ari: I love sewing and I make little animals and my own skirts and dresses.
Q: What advice/tips you give someone wanting to start their own polish company?
Sacha: Understand that it can be equally fun, rewarding and HARD. Do as much research as you can before starting.
Ari: When we started, there wasn’t much out there as far as information. Now the sky’s the limit with research.
Q: Besides your own, what other brands do you own/wear?
We have so many I can’t even name them all. When I do buy lacquers I only buy indies. #SupportIndies
Q: In 5 words, describe yourself
Ari: I’m going to say 5 things about my mom. Beautiful, loving, hardworking, caring, intelligent
Sacha: aww, I’ll do Ari. Brilliant, Creative, Focused, Regal, Creative, Loyal, Graceful, Beautiful. Yikes, that was more than 5, Sorry. I can’t say enough about my girl.
Q: What is one your strengths? Weakness?
Sacha: Strength- I’m very caring and giving. Weakness-I’m very caring and giving
Ari: Strength- I’m quite resourceful. Weakness- Anything I’m not good at eventually becomes a strength. So I don’t like to call them weaknesses.
Q: What are your top 3 favorite things to do? (Outside of making polish and filling orders…lol)
Sacha: Dancing, cooking, hanging out
Ari: sewing, drawing, being with my family and hanging with friends
Oh, so you know, that ‘IT’ I was referring to before, INCREDIBLE, MARVELOUS, WONDERFUL! I could go on and on and on but I’m sure you get the point. Whether you talk about Sacha and Ari or Jior Coutour, at some point these words will be used.If you haven’t already had pleasure of supporting these ladies and/or the polish/products you purchased still sit untried, don’t wait any longer, buy and use, you won’t be sorry.
Stay in the know about discounts, sales, giveaways, group customs and so much more by joining the Jior Couture Polish Mavens on Facebook and Instagram.
Disclosure: The questions above were sent to the featured maker (FM) for review and response. The FM was advised they could omit responses from any question they were not comfortable with answering. The responses are directly from the FM and have not been altered in any way, shape or form. The comments and responses expressed in this interview are those of the FM and the FM alone.
Excuse me because I need a minute to contain myself…………….
Ok, I think I’m ok now. Nope, another minute please……………………………………
Now, now, I’m ready to show the goodies I got a chance to play with. For today’s swatch and review I’d like to present…..EA Polish. This is a ‘new to me brand’, I don’t know how could this be, but that will soon change…lol. These polishes are absolutely gorgeous AND available RIGHT NOW!!!! That’s right, these are not future releases or preorders, I mean you can click here and place your order. But first, as you know, I have to give you all the details. EA Polish was inspired by sleepless night, a love of nail polish and to celebrate go-getters everywhere. After indie maker, Ellyse had her daughter in 2012, the self-proclaimed polish and accessories aficionado thought being a mom meant no more color and the end of her dreams. However, Ellyse had enough once people kept inquiring about her naked nails and she knew something needed to be done. She needed to paint her nails and encourage other to embrace color and strive toward their endeavors.
EA polishes all vegan, toxic and cruelty free. Currently, EA Polish only ships to the 48 contiguous states via USPS Priority mail. Nail Polish is $6/bottle and earring and rings range from $6 to $10. You may have also seen EA Polish in the September 2015 Cocotique box.
***Please Note*** All swatches are done without base coat and topped with Quick Dry High Gloss Top Coat by Pro-Fx.
Up All Night is a beautiful deep purple crème. Shown here in 2 coats is fully opaque without any VNL. Formula is like butter, smooth and creamy but easy to work with. Personally, this is one of my faves because I LIVE for a vampy crème polish.
F.A.I.L is a gorgeous metallic purple. By now, I have noticed a common trend among EA Polish, the formula is excellent, they apply smooth and cover completely. This color is absolutely beautiful and I didn’t want to take it off!! If you are a purple-holic, you will need this in your collection. F.A.I.L is shown here in 2 coats.
Dreams is a blue jelly with blue and gold micro glitter. Shown here in 3 coats for no VNL, Dreams is perfectly names as I thought of stars while applying. For a jelly glitter polish, it applies very, very well and smooth making the top coat without a textured feel.
Determined is a neon lime green crelly-ish. Normally, I would have applied a white base for neons, but for review I wanted to see its build up. After 5 coats, this polish is completely opaque without any VNL. The plus side to the 5 coats is that because its a crelly, the layers dried quickly.
Ok go-getters, before you make a made dash over to EA Polish, don’t forget to visit and follow EA Polish on Instagram and Facebook. Tell me, which of these will make it home with you?
Hey y’all, I’m at it again…hehehehe. I have worked with multiple FB groups and IG to find the best Women of Color (WOC) polish swatchers and bloggers. While this list is not to discredit anyone or their work, I thought it was about time we had a list of WOC that are available. This is simply a means to assist makers with a list of WOC that would love to work with them to show their polishes on a rage of skin tones.
More and more makers are adding WOC to their core list of swatchers/blogger and for that we are thankful. Too many times polishes are destashed or simply not purchased because its believed that the color or shade didn’t or wouldn’t compliment skin tone. By bridging the gap and providing WOC, hopefully we can avoid this travesty and #buyallthepolish!!!
Well makers, here we are, waiting and willing! As I continue to get emails of WOC swatchers/bloggers, I will continue to bring you up to date info. So stay tuned for upcoming posts as we continue to find more and more talented ladies. If you are a WOC swatcher/blogger, please email me your links to where you post your work. Or, if you are listed and your info needs to be updated or links are not working, PLEASE REACH OUT TO ME via email.
Have you been seeing swatch photos of new collections and releases on IG, FB, YouTube and blogs, etc describing formulas, drying time, opacity? Do you then wonder how you too can become a swatcher/blogger? Or said, “I want to do that!” If you said ‘yes’, then this post is for you. I recently asked indie polish makers on FB to answer some questions I thought would be helpful to aspiring swatchers/bloggers. So lets go deeper inside the mad minds of those brands we have come to know and love, shall we, and find out what indie polish makers want you to know.
First, I thought it would be helpful if I included SOME links to swatcher/blogger applications to get you started. Just click on the brand name link to be sent directly to the application.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely are you to reach out to a potential Swatcher/blogger if you see ‘available to swatch’ on the IG profile?
The average here is an astounding 3!! Most said what tour profile says is not what is important. It’s the content and quality of the swatches that are posted. Makers also said they review the swatch/blog applications they have on file first.
How many swatchers/blogger do you use per new release?
Typically makers average 6-7 “core/regular” swatchers/bloggers per collection and then rotate between others on their “blog roll”.
What are the TOP qualities you look for in a potential Swatcher/blogger?
Polish Application – neatly polished, cleaned up and properly moisturized nails
Quality Photos – clean, clear and color accurate photos with good lighting and even varying sources of light when necessary
Multiple Shots – to reflect accurate finish i.e. holo, duo chrome, flakies etc. This could also include macros and bottles shots
Description of Polish – clear, accurate and easily understandable commentary that makes sense and is mostly grammatically correct
Activity in the Nail Community – being a member of multiple groups where swatches/blog can be shared and a following throughout multiple social media platforms. Activity also includes a lack of drama!! Makers are looking for a blogger/swatcher that stays out of it
TAT/Communication – ensuring swatches and/or blogs are posted within the given timeframe. If not, communication with the maker is important so they can plan accordingly
Enthusiasm/Realness/Effectiveness – Not every collection will be liked however, makers like to see some kind of emotion coming through a blog post rather than just mundane comments about the formula and other pertinent facts. Reviews don’t have to be long blog posts, but actual commentary on the important things, which include: brand name, name of the polish, polish application notes, how many coats it took to reach the look in the photos, and whether the item is already available or if it’s releasing soon with a date and time for the upcoming release.
Most annoying thing a potential Swatcher/blogger can do?
Post the wrong details about the polish – i.e. wrong price, links & names and tagging a different makers for products
Pushy/rude swatch/blog requests – NO random and constant emailing and messaging. Most makers have an application link somewhere. Interested parties should take 5 minutes to find it and complete it.
BIG THANK YOU to those makers that took the time to respond to the questions and email them to me. Without you, this post and our gorgeous manis wouldn’t be possible. I think I speak for all the nail addicts when I say, “Please keep the polishes coming and we look forward to what’s next!!”
To the aspiring swatchers/bloggers out there, you can do this!!! It may not happen over night or even 2 months from now, but if you just keep at it, it is possible. Remember to be encouraged, everyone had to start somewhere. As long as its your passion, then it should never feel like work. Also, check out Tips and Tricks for more useful information.
Disclosure: The questions above were asked via FB and makers emailed their response. The makers were advised they could omit responses from any question they were not comfortable with answering. The responses expressed are those of the makers and the makers alone.
Up first in my Interview series, is none other than the women behind OOO Polish, Symantha Wechie-Onyechi. Symantha is the ultimate trifecta as she is an intelligent, beautiful, successful business women doing big things on the indie polish scene. Her line is growing leaps and bounds and can be seen on IG. You can also see my swatches of 2 of her polishes in my blog post “Swatch & Review: OOO Nail Lacquer”
I had the fortunate opportunity to ask Symantha some questions that I thought would help shed some light on this powerful indie maker.
Q: Why did you decide to start a nail polish line and what makes your brand different? A: “OOO POLISH IS AN AFRICAN INSPIRED POLISH LINE OF CUSTOM HANDMADE COLORS MADE BY AND FOR WOMEN OF COLOR.THE IDEA FOR A LINE OF POLISHES SPECIFICALLY CATERED TO THE MANY SHADES AND UNDERTONES OF WOMEN OF COLOR CAME FROM A SIMPLE NAIL SHOP VISIT THAT TURNED AWRY AND MY LOVE OF BEAUTIFUL HANDS AND FEET! I LOVE TO TRY DIFFERENT COLORS THAT BRING OUT MY SKIN TONE AND I WANT TO BRING THAT EXPERIENCE TO ALL WOMEN. MANY TIMES WHEN WE PREPARE FOR THE NAIL SALON, WE USUALLY LIMIT OURSELVES TO CERTAIN “GO TO” COLORS BECAUSE MOST BRANDS DO NOT USE BROWN SKIN AS A PALETTE. WE BELIEVE REPRESENTATION MATTERS AND WE WANT TO TAKE AWAY THE GUESS WORK WHEN SELECTING BEAUTY PRODUCTS FOR YOUR SKIN TONE. OF COURSE, ALL OOO LACQUERS DISPLAY BEAUTIFULLY ON ALL SKIN TONES AND WE WELCOME EVERYONE TO ENJOY OUR BEAUTY PRODUCTS!”
Q: What is one thing your willing to share that your customers would be surprised to know about you? A: “THE THING THAT MOST PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED ABOUT IS THAT I CAN’T PAINT MY OWN HANDS….OR TOES. I’M SUPER TERRIBLE AT BEING PATIENT SO I ALWAYS RUIN MY NAILS TOO!”
Q: What advice/tips you give someone wanting to start their own polish company? A: “I WOULD DEFINITELY RECOMMEND STARTING WITH TKB TRADING. THEY HAVE TUTORIALS ON HOW TO MAKE FRAKEN POLISH AND EVEN YOUR OWN COSMETIC PRODUCTS! THEY ARE SUPER HELPFUL.”
Q: Besides your own, what other brands do you own/wear? A: “I LOVE ESSIE! ONE OF MY FAVORITE BRANDS!”
Q: In 5 words, describe yourself. A: “”LOVE YOURSELF, ALL WAYS, ALWAYS””–ALEX ELLE
Q: What is one your strengths? Weakness? A: “I WOULD HAVE TO SAY MY STRENGTH IS PROVIDING ADVICE TO OTHERS ABOUT LIFE, BUT I ALSO WEAR MY HEART ON SLEEVE.”
Q: What are your top 3 favorite things to do? (Outside of making polish and filling orders…lol) A: “TRAVELING, SPENDING TIME WITH MY LOVED ONES, AND FULFILLING MY DESIRE TO BECOME A PRIESTESS.”
WOW!! Who would have thought that 1 ‘not so great’ salon visit would turn into a business venture? But then again, the best ideas and companies come from experiences and their willingness to make a change. Not mention that we benefit and get great polish…lol
Once again, thanks for hanging out with me today and I hope to bring you more interviews with your favorite indie makers. If you are a maker or know a maker who should be featured, please comment below.
Disclosure: The questions above were sent to the featured maker (FM) for review and response. The FM was advised they could omit responses from any question they were not comfortable with answering. The responses are directly from the FM and have not be altered in any way, shape or form. The comments and responses expressed in this interview are those of the FM and the FM alone.
Hey y’all! I’m back with a new indie brand, that officially launched May 27, 2016 and soon to be making waves on the indie scene, Sun Polish. All the way from Southern California to my hot little hands in Maryland, I have the pleasure of swatching and reviewing 2 of their 10 exciting polishes. This brand appeared on my IG based on ‘similar accounts I interact with,’ and I’m so excited it did. Here’s the inside scoop….Sun Polish “…empowers women by making them look beautiful. The formula is free of Toluene, Formaldehyde, DBP and Camphor. A portion of the proceeds will go to organizations that empower women.”
At first glance, I was a little caught off guard because this brand doesn’t use the ‘traditional’ polish names, instead they use numbers. I was sent #5 and #17, 2 very different polishes, so lets jump right in…
Sun Polish arrived beautifully and securely packaged. The polishes are in rounded, square bottles with standard brush applicators. Currently, polishes are exclusively sold online and retail for $12. Sun Polish is made and only ships within the US and offers free standard USPS shipping.
#5 is a deep, rich, dark navy blue crème. Shown here in 2 coats, this polishes dries shiny. The formula is consistent with other crèmes and is completely opaque in 1-2 coats.
#17 is a pink, jelly, shimmer. Shown here in 4 very thin coats, this polish dries shiny. The formula is thin and applies and builds well. Although there is still some VNL (visible nail line), this polish could be completely opaque in 4-5 coats.
I definitely see my self using these polishes more. #5 will be great for a future 4th of July mani and #17 would be perfect with a little black and white double stamping nail art. So tell me which is your favorite? As always, thanks for stopping by and hanging out a bit.
I’ve decided that once a month I want to do a Swatcher Spotlight focusing in on an awesome swatcher in the nail community because without them we would be stuck deciding between the red holo and the red holo.
You may know her as @Notoriousnickysnails on IG but behind the highly sought after swatcher, you’ll find a very kind, sweet, humble women, wife and mother. So here she is, Nicole Perez (insert clapping here 🙂 )
I reached out to Nicole and asked if she would do me a favor and help get my blog off on the right foot by answering a few questions that I could use as an “interview” on my blog. I was ready for, “I’m not interested,” or “I’m too busy,” but that’s not what I got at all. Instead, she was willing, excited and agreed without hesitation. I am so super stoked that she did since now we have a chance to know more about our friend with the beautiful swatches.
I started off asking Nicole some general questions about herself and she was open and candid in her responses.
Q: Kids? A: “Yes, 3 beautiful blessings from God. Alyssa is 14 and my miracle twins Jayla and Jayden are 8. We had 2 miscarriages before they were born and were not gonna try again but so glad we did.”
Q: Marital Status? A: “Married to my soulmate. My husband Angel and I have been together 22 years and married for 17 years. Definite ups and downs (we even separated for 6 months) but we finally came to our senses and reconciled….and that is where the twins come in…lol”
Q: Birthday: A: “June 2nd (Gemini)”
Q: Pets? A: “No pets! I am super OCD and would hate cleaning up after a pet but I do want a dog sooo bad. Once we move and have no carpets we are definitely getting one.”
Ok, ok, now that we have the pleasantries out of the way, it’s time to have some fun with Nicole. See what she said when I asked her some fun facts!
Q: Tea or Coffee? A: “I adore spanish coffee it is strong and keeps me on the go all day but it also messes up my tummy. So I do alternate between coffee and tea. I love oolong tea and all flavor green teas.”
Q: Beach or Mountains? A: “Mountains for sure! I swear I am the only one in my culture sometimes that loves cold weather and mountains lol they may revoke my Puerto Rican card someday but I can’t help it. I love sitting by a fire and the crisp cold snap the air has in it in fall and winter.”
Q: Best gift received? A: “The gold rose ring my grandma left me when she passed away because of how much it meant to her and me. She was without a doubt the best friend I ever and will ever have. Our relationship was such a blessing in my life and she gave me so many gifts that I will cherish everyday of my life. The ring signifies so much more than just gold and value it was something she treasured and so will I.”
Q: Favorite pastime? (besides nails) A: “Spending time with my kids, I know I must sound like a broken record lol but I don’t care. They are funny and honest and sponges they soak it all in and never give me a chance to be sad. Oh and shopping, makeup and reading 😉”
Q: Favorite food? A: “Chinese Food, Japanese Food, Gyros, and Cupcakes lol I cannot pass up a cupcake evah!!!”
Q: Favorite movie? A: “Oohhh this is hard! Alice in Wonderland, The Notebook, Scarface, Pretty Woman, The Devil Wears Prada….the list goes on and on….like seriously I love movies but hate going to the actual theatre lol I like pausing and snack breaks and being able to potty and not miss anything.”
Q: Favorite season? A: “Fall and Winter are my absolute favorites. I love the fashion and that crispness in the air. Apple picking, s’mores by our fireplace and snow falling in the winter. Makes me happy just thinking about it!”
Now it was time to get down to business and talk nails because after all this blog is about nails.
Q: What got you started doing your nails? A: “My nails were so short and in bad shape after acrylics for soo many years and I wanted my hands to be pretty. My hands are so brown and wrinkly and sausage like lol and I wanted my own long nails so when I got on IG I started seeing all these posts of nail art and then indie brands and I never looked back. If I show you my first IG mani you would laugh soo hard…I do lol”
Q: What was the first brand you swatched for? A: “Bad Bitch Polish and I still swatch for Brittany. She is a sweetheart and I was so grateful for the opportunity. And then my friend Gretchen offered my name up to Hella Holo Customs and from then on it was full steam ahead. And from then on it was so flattering to be asked by more than one indie. I felt wanted and kinda special. That is what swatching does for me, it makes me feel pretty and when my nail community likes my swatches I feel amazing. It is hard work, lol it’s not just painting your nails it is so so much more than that and I am grateful to be able to do it.”
Q: You’re going on vacation for 2 weeks and can only take 3 bottles of polish (not included base or top coat). What do you take? A: “Oh sweet Jesus you cannot ask me that!!! Lol no way I could choose just 3. If I could only take 3 then I don’t need to go lol”
Q: What tips would you give an aspiring swatcher? A: “Not to let anyone make you feel like your swatches are less than. I mean you can get advice from other swatchers and that is most definitely appreciated but snide, rude comments are not okay. Also you will get better as time goes on so do not quit if it is something you really wanna do it is competitive out there lol there are sooo many amazing swatchers but if you love it don’t stop.”
Q: What’s one nail related item you can’t live without? A: “My cuticle oils lol my cuticles can get so dry with washing clothes, dishes, housework. I would be lost without my oils.”
Q: If you were to start an indie line of polish what would you name it and what would the first collection be inspired by? A: “This is a tough question hmm….honestly I don’t know because the name would have to be perfect and that may take me a few weeks to decide lol but there are so many awesome established brands out there and so many great new ones coming out all the time so lucky me I never need to start one 😉”
Well there you have it folks, you read it here, directly from Nicole Perez.
If you enjoyed this time with Nicole and would like to read more Swatcher Spotlights, let me know. Also, comment down below if you or someone you know is a swatcher that should have the spotlight on them!
Well that’s all for now!
Stay Polished, Queen of Nails 83
Disclosure: The questions above were sent to the featured swatcher (FS) for review and response. The FS was advised they could omit responses from any question they were not comfortable with answering. The responses are directly from the FS and have not be altered in any way, shape or form. The comments and responses expressed in this interview are those of the FS and the FS alone.
Queen of Nails 83 