Polish Pickup: Birthstones, Gems, & Minerals (January 2021)

 Hello loves! Welcome to my January 2021 PPU purchase post. This month was a smaller month for me - I tried really hard to limit my spending and managed to get my buy list down to only 3 polishes. So without further ado, let's get to my swatches + some nail art!

Descriptions of polishes were taken from their official descriptions during the PPU shopping period. Polishes are listed in alphabetical order by brand. 

P.S. The quality of my photos seem to go down when embedded in the blog post - for clearer pictures, click on the picture itself! The quality goes up.

January 2021 PPU collage

KBShimmer - Rose Glow

Rose Glow is described as a polish with small and micro holographic glitters in the shade of pale pink, warm rose, soft blush with additions of gold. This was a microglitter polish, but the formula was really easy to work with and the layers also settled nicely. The polish had pretty good opacity - I was able to get my nail line hidden in 3 coats, and the polish didn't feel too thick either. I think I was a little bit disappointed with how the colors in the polish played with my skin tone, since I typically really love these types of colors, but I think this particular shade didn't flatter me too much. That aside, the polish itself is very stunning and softly elegant!

Shown is three coats with glossy top coat.

KBShimmer - Rose GlowKBShimmer - Rose Glow with bottleKBShimmer - Rose Glow macro

Pahlish - Keshi

Next up is Keshi by Pahlish, or a soft violet lavender with a heavy dose of glowing copper shimmer. This polish was stunning - I typically don't go for this type of finish (although, now that I have this polish I'm not sure why), but I'm so glad I grabbed this one. The formula was quite easy to work with - jelly-like and smooth, with pretty good self-leveling properties. The soft glow on the polish was also stunning - it definitely looks better in person than on camera, and the glow also leans warm.

Shown is two coats with glossy top coat. Excuse the macro - the color is reflected well, but my camera had trouble focusing.

Included is a nail art look where I added gold foil flakes to add more glow - I was going for a slightly slanted line of flakes on each nail, but the flakes didn't photograph that well either. I promise, it was a pretty and elegant look in person!

Pahlish - KeshiPahlish - Keshi with bottlePahlish - Keshi macro

Pahlish - Keshi nail artPahlish - Keshi nail art macro

Polished for Days - Opalescence

Last up is Opalescence, or a smokey grey base packed with rainbow iridescent flakes and holographic flakes and micro holographic flakes. This polish - oh my gosh! It's so incredibly stunning and glittery in person, and I really could not stop staring at my nails when I had it on. The flakes are a gorgeous rainbow, and the neutral charcoal base really contrasts the smattering of colors on top perfectly. Overall, I would say the flakes lean colder rather than warmer, but it does strike a balance between colors.

Because this is a flakie polish instead of a glitter polish, the texture also isn't too rough, and the flakes easily lie flat. Application was also simple - the layers built up well, and going to three coats really deepens the polish's effect. 

Shown is three coats with glossy top coat.

Polished for Days - OpalescencePolished for Days - Opalescence with bottlePolished for Days - Opalescence with bottle


What was your favorite January 2021 PPU polish? Let me know, and thanks for reading!

XOXO,

Lauren

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Polished for Days: Sweater Weather Collection

Image
 Hi loves! It's been a while since I posted a collection review, so I'm here today with my thoughts, swatches, and nail art of the Polished for Days Sweater Weather Collection. The collection came out last November for Black Friday, but it's still available on the PFD website! If you're on the fence about buying any of them, I hope this blog post can help you make a decision :) As always, official descriptions of polishes are taken off of the brand's website. I bought this collection with my own money, and all thoughts are my own. Let's get to it! Flannel First up is Flannel, a gorgeous holiday red. The polish is described as a deep red base packed with red-orange-green metallic shifting iridescent microflakes.  Flannel had a fantastic formula - the metallic sheen is really gorgeous, and the polish builds up well. Definitely one of my go-tos for holiday manis now! Also, take a look at that macro - this polish really gets me. Shown is two coats plus glossy top co
Read more

KBShimmer: Enchanted Forest Collection

Image
  *Disclosure: PR samples- I received these polishes for free in exchange for swatch photography.*   Hello loves! I was recently sent the KBShimmer Enchanted Forest collection to swatch and share, and I'm super excited to present these gorgeous polishes.  I was able to squeeze in a few nail art looks with these polishes, but this blog post's primary focus is swatches. I hope you enjoy! Polishes are presented in alphabetical order. P.S. The quality of my photos seem to go down when embedded in the blog post - for clearer pictures, click on the picture itself! The quality goes up. Amanita Moment First up is Amanita Moment. Amanita Moment is described as a soft, sage green crelly with color-shifting flakes that easily show off hues of red, orange and gold while swimming with a similar color-shifting shimmer. In low or indirect lighting, the flakes show off hues of green.  Amanita Moment had a fantastic formula - it built up really well, and the flakes lied flat without any adjustm
Read more

Charity Box Collab: Art Glass for Autism (April)

Image
  *Disclosure: PR samples- I received these polishes for free in exchange for swatch photography.*  Hello! In this post, I'll be sharing swatches and nail art of the Jen & Berries April Charity Box collab polish. The inspiration theme for this month's Charity Box was art glass, and proceeds will go to a charity that benefits Autism support/awareness. P.S. The quality of my photos seem to go down when embedded in the blog post - for clearer pictures, click on the picture itself! The quality goes up. Jen & Berries: It's the New Style It's the New Style is described as an aquaish holographic base with aqua shimmer and microglitter with silver and black holographic microglitters. The inspiration for this polish was a  photo that the maker took of the "New Glass" exhibit at the Corning Museum of Glass. It's the New Style had a great formula - smooth with no problems regarding pooling or staining. The polish was also easily buildable, and opaque in three
Read more