Serum No. 5 Glowmeleon Collection + Lei Down the Law

Hey folks! Today I have a cool indie collection to share with you from Serum No. 5. This summer collection consists of 4 polishes that not only look awesome in the light, but also glow in the dark! I've also got a bonus glowy treat that isn't a part of the collection. For each swatch I've shown the polish first in normal light and then a photo of it glowing. Because of the nature of the long exposure glow photos, they may appear slightly brighter here than they do to the naked eye.

Press Sample

Eternal Sunshine is a gorgeous gold shade with lots of glinting sparkles. I applied three coats for the opacity shown and had no issues with formula. Look at the awesome texture that the sparkles give the polish when it glows! Too cool.

Sunset Flare is a stunning polish that shifts from a pinky-red to orange to gold. I was really impressed by the formula on this one, it was super easy to work with. I used three coats, and like Eternal Sunshine, the materials used in this polish make for a really awesome visual texture in the dark!

Twilight Sparks is my faaaavorite in the collection. This amazing hunter green with golden shimmer is so special! I used three coats here. It does dry matte-ish so be sure to add topcoat to bring the golden shimmer to life.

Burning Orchid is a pretty shimmer topper that is probably best layered rather than worn alone. I've shown it here over Zoya Rocky. Burning Orchid adds a beautiful violet shimmer to any manicure, similar to a CND Effects line polish (and don't forget the glow effect, of course!).

Lei Down the Law, while not officially a part of the Glowmeleon Collection, is sure to be a favorite for many of you. This polish has tiny colored matte glitters, tiny black matte glitters, and larger gray hex glitter pieces. This is three coats but you could probably get away with just two. Because of the glow pigment in it (I think), it appears to have a sort of grey jelly base, which I actually really like and I think it suits the polish well. The matte glitters make it topcoat hungry; I've applied two coats to this manicure.

Unfortunately I had a hard time photographing the glow on this one -- it glows white/gray with just a touch of blue. My camera decided that that meant OMGWTFBLUE, so I've tried to edit it a little bit here for better color accuracy.

So overall, which of these are you loving? I think these polishes are just so much fun. I love that they are refined in the light and party animals in the dark. I've definitely gotta say that Twilight Sparks is my favorite, but the rest are basically tied for second place!

Lei Down the Law is an LE shade and will be sold through the end of August, so be sure to snatch it up soon if you want it! These shades are available through the Serum No. 5 website and Etsy shop. You can also keep up with Serum No. 5 on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Swoony Gradient (Lilac to Red)

Another day, another set of gradient nails. It's hard to say which color combination I like more between this one and the 70's green and brown combo I did a few weeks ago. I do love this, it feels very lovey-dovey and is sure to make you swoon!

My bottle of Illamasqua Jo'Mina had just arrived in the mail and I was itching to use it. I knew I wanted to use it in a gradient, but was unsure what to combine it with. I almost went with Essie Butler Please but switched to American Apparel Downtown LA at the last second. I love the way this turned out, so I'm glad I called the audible, but I'm still curious what the Essie pairing would have looked like. I may have to do that one at some point!

I've been getting a lot of requests for a gradient tutorial lately. I've switched up my process from the way I used to do it, so I hope to be able to film a demo video soon. Be on the lookout!

GlitterDaze Rainbow Bridge and Browny Bear

The duo of polishes in today's post is a special one. Recently, Sana, the creator of GlitterDaze, unexpectedly lost her dog Browny to cancer. You can read more about what happened in her blog post, if you'd like. She created these polishes in Browny's memory and is donating 100% of their proceeds to the National Canine Cancer Foundation. Not only is the idea wonderful, but the polishes are really beautiful.

Press Sample

Rainbow Bridge is a multicolored glitter topper in a clear base. It is incredibly dense and I've shown one coat over black here. Some of the glitters have a bit of a reflective curl to them but they do lay flat on the nail. It's so colorful and dense, but it's not just rainbow colored -- the glitters seem specifically chosen in jewel tones, so the mix looks very rich. Definitely one of my favorite multicolored toppers that I own.

If you're unfamiliar with the Rainbow Bridge, its a piece of prose that talks about a special place that pets go when they pass away. They wait there until they are able to be reunited with their owners, and the two of them cross the Rainbow Bridge together. Sana has pasted a copy of it in her post as well.

Browny Bear is a mix of pinks, whites, browns, and golds, plus matte pink hearts. This polish was inspired by Browny herself and the love that Sana has for her. I've shown one coat here over OPI Privacy Please. I found the formula easy to use. This polish is a little more subtle than Rainbow Bridge, which makes it a great complement in the set.

Here are some bottle macros of both polishes.

I can only imagine how hard it is for Sana to have lost Browny, & I love that she is doing something positive in her memory. I'm sure Browny approves. :)

These polishes are available at www.glitterdazenp.com, and don't forget that the proceeds will be donated to the National Canine Cancer Foundation. Sana adds,

"Because the purpose of this duo is charity and not any type of profit or personal gain, it will only be available in fullsized bottles, and there will be no discount for purchasing both together. I also request that you do not use your [GlitterDaze] rewards points for a discount toward these polishes, as it will reduce the amount of money going toward the donation."

You can also keep up with GlitterDaze on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Fuchsia and Cobalt Tribal (Matte vs. Glossy)

The other day I was raring to do some nail art, and I wanted a design that would help me to practice my fine line work. I recently did an interview with The Crumpet and one of the things I said was that I wished I was better at fine details in my nail art. Well, there's no time like the present to start practicing!

I chose a geometric/tribal concept because consistent lines are really hard to do, and I thought it would be challenging. I really like the way that it came out.

Colors I used include:

OPI - My Vampire is Buff (cream - I recently bought three backup bottles of this shade, heeehhhhh)

Essie - Butler Please (cobalt blue)

Sheswai - F*ckyeah (fuchsia, now called Hot Damn) 

American Apparel - Hassid (black)

I also want to note that I used KBShimmer - Clearly On Top as my topcoat for this manicure and was very impressed. It didn't smear the nail art when I applied it, and it dried really speedily. Definitely worth looking into if you are in the market for a new topcoat.

After finishing the manicure I decided I wanted to make it matte. I don't use my matte topcoat often enough! It can really transform the entire look of whatever it's used on.

So, I added a coat of Hard Candy - Matte-ly In Love. I'm actually almost out of it, and I don't think that Hard Candy is producing it anymore. I'm going to give the OPI Matte Topcoat a shot next.

Which way do you prefer this manicure? While I normally prefer glossy, I think in this case I like it better matte. Both have their advantages, though!