Happy New Year! with some Color Club Bling!

Am I right when I say that all of us were anxiously awaiting the end of 2016? It seems like it was just the craziest year for so many people. We lost some amazing people as well- literal icons. I'm still thankful that Betty White made it out unscathed.

I am not huge on New Year's celebrations since have never believed that the flip of a calendar pagec has the power the change more than the date. It certainly has never miraculously changed me into someone who was suddenly the opposite of how I am now, so no resolutions from me. I'm heading into the New Year the same way I went out, fighting a tremendous amount of grief and just trying to be the best me I can be.

Having said that, any excuse to wear blingy polish is a good excuse, so I broke out one of my fave sparklies, Color Club Sugarplum Fairy from the 2011 Beyond The Mistletoe Collection. This is one of those glitters that will literally blind you in sunlight, so it's obviously perfect to turn one's fingers into little disco balls for NYE, right? It's a mix of sparkly silver and holographic glitters in a clear base, and is definitely packed enough to be opaque in 2 coats.

I did add some accent nail stamping to this mani, however the glitter and holo is so overwhelming that you couldn't even make out the little champagne glasses and hearts in the image. I do have 10 new double sided stamping plates and a new stamper to play with, so you'll be seeing more stamping than you know what to do with soon enough. Literally as soon as my liquid latex arrives, cause I am not going back to acetone to clean up stamping Nu uh!

This is 2 sponged on coats of Sugarplum Fairy topped with Gelous and SV.

(Do you guys prefer the pics to be this big or smaller and clickable to enlarge? Let me know cause I am kind of going back and forth on it. )

Wanna see some close-up, macro-y goodness? I'm still getting used to my camera, but not a bad shot for a newb. :)

Despite this polish being 6 years old, I still adore it. Some thing are just timeless and silver and holo definitely fall into that category for me. What is your favorite timeless polish? Share with me!

I did use a peel off base coat with this, UNT peel off, and man! They are not kidding with that stuff. I had to fix a few nails within hours since I didn't wrap  my edges well enough and the started to peel off. I've used many a peel off base coat, but this stuff is amazing. I have definitely found a new holy grail.

I am itching to change my mani now so I think I'll go see what I can play with. I'll have more from IAMCCC of course so check back for those.

Hope to see you all soon!

IAMCCC Moon Mythos Mani and an update!

Hello my loves. It's been awhile, I know. Life can get in the way of polish sometimes. It's a well known fact that I lost my Mom to cancer in 2014 and that it took until about 6 months ago for me to start to heal. I had just come back to swatching and nail art. I started new medication. My dad was doing amazing and was close to self-sufficient again. I was starting to come back from the black hole of major depression that I had spent almost 2 years lost inside.

Over Thanksgiving my Dad's lungs failed and we almost lost him. But he fought to stay and he came home. Weak, but home. Then on 12/5 he went to his doctor because he wasn't breathing well. He was transferred to hospital and admitted. The morning of 12/6 we were called to the hospital. My father was awake, but could no longer even get out of bed. Without the CPAP he couldn't breathe at all. He told us he was tired and missed my Mom. He didn't want to live like that, tied to a machine, barely able to speak, unable to function. He asked to be removed from the CPAP. My Father passed away peacefully at 5:40pm on December 6, holding my hand and with my sister and niece present as well.

I am now an adult orphan. My world has been destroyed and I carry so much pain that I have times where I can barely breathe. I don't have the strength to write out how much my Dad meant to me, suffice it to say that in my eyes he was my personal Superman. I am shattered. Everything in my life is changing and I have no idea where to begin. I have days where I am optimistic, but most days I am just trying to find my place in this world without my parents.

So, there ya have it. I'm back now because polish makes me happy and I need to have something that brings me joy. IAMCCC is also a personal passion for me because Ashlie puts her heart and soul into her brand and is one of the most real people around. She has come under fire lately and so Charity and I have jumped in to help with Facebook and Instagram so Ashlie can focus on the brand and take some much needed time to decompress. I have already seen and heard all the arguments and am appalled at how childish some people are acting. Ashlie's words were taken out of context by someone that was intent on picking a fight. That is the bottom line. I will not tolerate anyone talking trash about Ashlie personally, period. If anyone has an actual product issue then please feel free to contact me and I will make sure it gets to Ashlie. I will follow up on any product issues and you will need to supply proof, since there have been some fake reviews and the like. Issues with giveaways are not a customer service issue, since complaining about something that you received free of charge is so low I can't even find the words. Giveaway prizes also ship after paid orders, and that should be obvious.

Okay, having said all that, let's see something pretty.

I have some older swatches that I need to share here as well, but I am starting out with a gorgeous, sparkly, soothing polish today. I recently changed my nail shape and wanted something chic as well as sexy. After deliberating over several IAMCCC beauties, I decided Mani was exactly what I needed.

Mani is a Champagne holo with blue shimmers and real silver flakes. She is subtle enough for work, yet shimmery enough for a night out. The ultimate neutral! The holo in this polish is so pretty, yet it doesn't overwhelm the soft Champagne color.

This is 2 coats of Mani plus top coat. Still adjusting the camera settings, so you may want to click to enlarge.

Ah, look at that macro shot. This polish is really just beautiful. I always feel like neutrals need to be seen in person to really appreciate all the subtle nuances, and this is no exception.  A must have polish, IMHO.

The formula on this one was thinner than I expected, but was still perfectly opaque in 2 easy coats. At first glace it looks like it will dry streaky, but it evens out beautifully. It does dry just slightly matte, but is still just as sparkly. I added topcoat because I am impatient.

You can check out Mani and the rest of the Moon Mythos at I, A.M. Custom Color. You can find me on Facebook here and Instagram here. (Can I just say that FB keeps rejecting my name change as suggestive?? Ugh!)

I'll be sharing much more from IAMCCC as well as more nail art. I went a little stamping plate happy and have 11 new plates to play with.

Happy polishing, loves!

*Press Sample. All opinions are my own with no outside influence regardless of cost.**

Girly stamping with I, A.M Custom Color Cosmetics Artist Inks

Do you guys see how much I am slacking? At least I feel like I'm slacking. In reality my dad is in the hospital with a major COPD exacerbation episode that almost took him from us. He's been there since Wednesday, and I have no idea when he will come home, but at least he is coming home. Thankfully my hubby is my father's live in caretaker otherwise we would have lost him. On hubby's bday his mother had a heart attack (she's home and okay now", and we woke this morning to the news that his biological father (His Dad, who adopted him when he was 2, passed away in 2014, a few months before my mother) that had just tracked him down passed away from a massive heart attack last night. 2016 Has been a seriously fucked year.

I'm still fighting this damned depression, but Dr. P prescribed Abilify to go with my Lexapro and rescue Xanax so hopefully that will help. I refuse to just lay down and let it have me though, so here I am, doing happy things to keep me going. Polish being one of them. Ashlie will never know how much this package of polish has helped. Loves her.

Okay, Vix. Enough of that. Let's see some pretty nail art!

I don't really do girl very often. It's just not me. But sometimes I want to do something cute and perky, so I grabbed a very pink polish, my stamper and scraper (also from I, A.M. Custom Color. Thanks Ashes!), and Dali from the I, A.M. Custom Color Artist's Inks nail art polishes and settled down for some fun.

I chose Catrice Aretha's R-E-S-P-E-C Pink as my base color, and man! Is that seriously pink! Then I grabbed my stamping plates and after much indecision I settled on the Hello Kitty image from one of my extra large plates and prepared for the cute. The result is so cute I can't even handle it.

Dali is an impressive stamping polish as well. It's a bright white creme with a perfect consistency for stamping. I tried it with a few different images and it never dried too fast to pick up the image on the first shot. I'm very used to Konad white, which can dry too fast and loves to smear the moment top coat hits it. I did not have any issues with Dali at all. I am itching to play with the rest of the Artist's Inks now. The Hello Kitty image was not the best choice for an actual mani though, since the etching is a bit shady. It's very shallow in some spots so it never picks up entirely. I wanted to mention that so you guys know it has nothing to do with the polish, it's literally just not a great quality image.

This is also my first time working with a clear stamper. It's taking some getting used to since I have used the same stamping method forever and have had no placement issues. I dig this thing but I confused myself for a bit there. Any tips? Again, a huge thanks to Ashlie for sending that little gem along. (If you can't tell, she puts her heart and soul into everything and appreciates the hell our of every one of her customers.)

Anyway.......Heeeeeeeeere's Dali!! (Was that too much?) It does look slightly pinkish here, but that's the pink from the base color reflecting back.

I told you it's girly! But it's just so damned cute. I wore this for a good 4 days and had zero issues with stamping wearing off. I'm not a fan of most stamping polishes outside of Konad, but these have won me over. I have a ton more of these so you'll be seeing a lot more stamping.

You can grab the Artist's Inks as singles or as sets at I, A.M. Custom Color Cosmetics. One of the other impressive things are the colors themselves. There is the basic set with Black, White, and Grey, as well as metallics with earthier tones and pastels. They are great for base polish for nail art as well since they dry quickly and are generally one coaters.

What do you guys think of my girly nails? Are you ready for some more from The IAMCCC Mythos Collection yet?

I'll be back soon! Thanks for visiting my little den.

**Press Sample. Opinions are my own and are not influenced by samples or discounts.**

More from I, A.M. Custom Color - "Aset"

Hey loves! Well, it appears that when I said I would be blogging on my own terms, I meant it. Cause here I am, days upon days later, and a full three manis later. Sheesh. Maybe I should step up my game a bit.

I am really excited about today's polish. I love thermals, and I have discovered my new fave. Normally I don't get to see the color change unless I'm washing my hands, but this one changed constantly and I am in LOOOOOVE.

The polish I'm raving like a lunatic about is called "Aset", from the I, A.M. Custom Color Moon Mythos Collection. Named after the goddess Aset, better known to us as the Egyptian Goddess Isis, this polish is an amazing thermal that changes from Black to white, but with an entire range of colors in between thanks to the dazzling iridescent flakies and glitters. Witchcraft, I tell you! I have seen navy blue, purple, shimmering light blue, lavender, black with swirling colors and sparkling white come out as the predominant color in this polish. I spent way too much time staring at my nails and not being productive. But it's okay because this one gave me the happy. Isis herself would rock this!

Let's take a peek at the color change first. I had to use the water trick to really capture this since my hands were ridiculously warm at the time.

Two coats plus top coat here:

Tell me that isn't gorgeous! The opalescence in this one rocks my socks. Squee!!

Here's the entire color change to warm.

I really think this is the prettiest thermal I have ever worn. You know a polish is something special when my husband comments on it, and he loved this one.

Just a few more pics, okay? I mean, this girl is a star. She needs to be adored! These are in artificial light, late at night. You can really see the blue come out here. So freaking beautiful. I love you, Aset. Don't ever leave me.

As if it wasn't crystal clear, I am deeply in love with this one. Application was incredibly smooth, which is always impressive with a polish with both flakies and glitter. Despite the light color when warm, this one is opaque in two easy coats and completely smooth with only top coat. Again I feel the need to mention removal since I failed to used a peel off base coat. Again. Was a non-issue though since this was easily removed with my little acetone scrubby jar with no actual effort. I think it took maybe five minutes to remove this entire mani with no extra scrubbing or cursing. I have no idea how that is even possible, so I'm gonna chalk it up to voodoo or something.

Aset is a definite must have for any polish fiend. You can grab one for yourself, as well as the rest of the Moon Mythos collection at I, A.M. Custom Color Cosmetics. The Sun, Death, and Love Mythos are also still available, as well as a plethora of other awesome polishes and products.

I tried out one of the I, A.M. Custom Color stamping polishes the other day, so I'll have that coming up.

Thanks for dropping by!

** Press Sample. Product provided in exchange for honest review. Opinions are my own and not influenced in any way by gifts or discounts.**

I, A.M. Custom Color Cosmetics Death Mythos Collection- Hel

If you are not familiar with the Mythos 2016 Collection from I, A.M. Custom Color,  you should run over to iamcustomcolor.com and prepare to fall in love. The Mythos Collection is a 4 parter with 6 polishes in each set, each one inspired by a different deity from different mythologies. This is one of the things I love about IAMCCC - Ashlie takes inspiration from unique and amazing things.

Today I have Hel from the Death Mythos Collection. Hel is named after the Norse Goddess who rules over Helheim, the Norse underworld, and Loki's daughter. Here's a great link if you want to learn more about the awesome inspiration for this polish: Hel

Hel (the polish) is a blackened navy jelly with green and copper flakies. Despite the base being a navy, on the nail Hel appears as a deep emerald green that darkens into blue at certain angles. I suck and couldn't capture that angle, but no matter - Hel is so freaking gorgeous that it doesn't matter. I wanted to swim in it, seriously. I took a ton of pics, but nothing does this baby justice.

For this mani I used 2 coats of Hel, topped with SV. I was thrilled with the formula, since glitter and jelly usually means thick and gritty and Hel was nowhere near. The flakies behaved like I had threatened to spank them and the jelly base was smooth and silky. So. Much. Love!!

Here she is in direct light, which reminds me that I need a new Ott light like woah.

Yaaaassssssss! I freaking die now. That amazing glow from the flakies is life. Let's ogle this baby just a little more, shall we?

Different lighting in both shots changes the depth a but, but still amazeballs.

And gratuitous macro shot, because flakies. Ignore the fuzzy center. Looks like I need a new macro lens. Waaaah!

Flakies!!!! Man, I can never have enough flakies. I wore this for three days, which is a long time for me. I have to mention that I usually use a peel off base coat with  flakies, but forgot. Removal was still super fast and easy. I have no idea what kind of witchcraft this woman is performing here, but this polish is super badass in every way.

I think this is definitely one of my all time fave polishes. I just love the colors and finish and depth - plus it just made me happy as hell to see this on my nails. I couldn't even stamp it because it was just too gorg on its own.

Hel and the rest of the Death Mythos Collection (which I have more of, and muuuuuuuuch more from IAMCCC) can be found at iamcustomcolor.com. Ashlie has a ton of amazing polishes as well as bath bombs, cuticle oils, stamping polishes, etc.

**Disclaimer* Polish received at a discounted rate. These are my honest opinions regardless of product price or sample status. *

Welcome to Polished Tails!

It's been so long since I have clicked the "new post" button. I almost didn't do it, but I just can't post pretty polish pics without sharing a ton of other information that I would want to see before spending my hard earned cash on something. So here I am, blogging again when I swore that I would never come back.

I am a former blogger, but I went on hiatus in 2014. None of that matters though. Polish makes me happy, nail art makes me happy, so here I am. However, I am doing this on my terms this time. I'll post when I want to, and I can't say that I will be swatching all sorts of new polishes because I don't want to end up buried under deadlines that force me to choose between life and swatching. That just takes all the fun out of blogging. You be seeing I, A.M. Custom Color swatches as often as possible though. If there is one Indie brand that I truly believe in heart and soul, that's the one.

Polished Tails is my rebirth as a blogger. The name is a play on words, and refers to my love of foxes. I tried to find a cute fox with pretty nails, but uh, yeah.....

I'll be posting my social media links on the sidebar soon. I hate the whole layout process of blogging. I am horrible at it. ;)

Thanks for joining me. I'm crazy happy to be here.