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I have a handful of fabulous items from this months Polish Pickup to show you all, including a brand that is new to my blog! There are some stunning polishes (and some can be used alone or as toppers), and various IPU items as well!

Below is this month’s Polish Pickup Info!

This month’s Polish Pickup theme is the Birthstones, Gems, and Minerals!
US POLISH PICKUP:
Dates: 8:00AM PT / 9:00AM MT / 10:00AM CT / 11:00AM ET Friday January 1st – 8:59PM PT / 9:59PM MT /10:59PM CST / 11:59PM EST Monday January 4th 2021
Where: www.polishpickup.com

UK POLISH PICKUP:
Dates: The UK Shop opens the first Thursday of each month at 1600 GMT and runs until Tuesday at 0500 GMT
Where: http://www.polishpickup.co.uk/

Alchemy Lacquers

Kyber Crystal

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Price: $11.50 USD
Inspiration: Inspired from Star Wars, precious Kyber Crystal’s were force-attuned stones that were used by Jedi and Sith in the construction of their light sabers
Cap: 150 US / 5 UK
Description: Kyber Crystal is a very pale blue crelly nail lacquer with pink/orange shimmer and pink/orange shifting flakes

My swatches below are 3 coats of polish over a peel off base coat and topped with a quick dry top coat. I had no application issues.

Alchemy Lacquers is new to my blog and also new to my polish collection! I don’t know what I was waiting for though because I went to Alchemy’s site and there are some stunners there (and a branded decal that is calling my name). I definitely see an order in my future. But, what an introduction to my collection it is with a polish that is after my nerdy heart. The polish was even wrapped up to look like a Kyber Crystal! Now I will say that there is a little bit of color correction to my photos because they did not turn out perfectly color accurate. I think in person this polish is a little bit more blue and less white-leaning as may be conveyed in my photos. I think my bottle shots are more accurate for the true color. But it applied like a dream even with it being so flakie heavy and it is a gorgeous polish, perfect for nerdy or winter inspired manis! May this polish be with you[r wishlist].

Color Spectrum Polish

S – Sulfur

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Price: $11.00 USD
Inspiration: The element Sulfur
Cap: 100 US / 5 UK
Description: A bright neon yellow creme with gold to green shimmers and yellow holo glitters.

My swatches below are 2 coats of polish over a peel off base coat and topped with a quick dry top coat. I had no application issues.

Oh my goodness get some sunglasses ready because this polish is BRIGHT. This neon yellow is packed with little glitters and shimmers that make it stand out even more and it applied so very easily. This polish is definitely more than just a neon yellow thanks to all the extras in it, and even though I may not buy or wear many yellow polishes, I am loving this one matte. This one is also interesting over black! Due to time constraints I did not wear it over black, but only took photos of it on a nail wheel, but I hope that you are still able to tell that it does look a little bit different that way, meaning it is definitely a versatile polish!

Bedazzle Me

Price: $4.50 USD
Inspiration: Fashion Jewels
Cap: 30 US / 5 UK
Ingredients: Sunflower Wax, castor oil, jojoba oil, coconut oil, vitamin E, flavoring & mica/glitter
Description: A beautiful pink tinted balm with scents of watermelon, mango, and peaches with a light sprinkle of purple shimmers.

I have grown to love Color Spectrum lip balms! I suppose first I should mention a somewhat odd question I was asked when blogging about the last lip balm I received as PR. I was asked (and I’m paraphrasing here) what it tasted like. Like, when you put on a lip balm and accidentally lick your lips? That. Well, so far this lip balm (and others from CSP) do not have a taste! If anything, there may be the faintest almost, like, wax-y taste to it? Like, just a normal lip balm taste. But otherwise I do not taste anything.
As for the smell, well, please take everything I say here with a grain of salt. I have lost some sense of smell due to illness, but I do remember smelling it when I received it so I think my scent description is still accurate. I definitely pick up the watermelon and peaches. It’s like a watermelon candy type scent and I’m in love.
I put on a few swipes to make sure I had full coverage and for me personally, CSP lip balms soak in pretty fast and leave my lips feeling moisturized. And since it soaked in fast, well now I don’t have lip balm residue all over my glass! haha!
Now for the hard part. To decide where this one goes! I think maybe a second purse lip balm is needed? 😉

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Red Eyed Lacquer

O-pal-Eeze

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Price: $12.50 USD
Inspiration: Opal
Cap: 200 US / 20 UK
Description: A gray crelly with red/pink color shifting flakies and blue/purple shifting flakies

My swatches below are 3 coats of polish over a peel off base coat and topped with a quick dry top coat. I had no application issues.

This polish is flakie heaven. It is also yet another fabulous crelly from REL. It applied very easily and I am a huge fan of opal in general so any opal inspired polish and I’m on board! I love the simple grey color of the polish because it really lets the flakies stand out and shine! This would be a fabulous backdrop for some nail art or it of course shines even by itself. I am already really excited to wear this one again!

Rock On Da Balm-er

Price: $7.50 USD
Inspiration: Sea Glass
Cap: 60 US / 5 UK
Description: Scented in the smell of salt water, citrus and driftwood with a hint of musk and limoncello for sweetness.

Remember that old saying “a little dab’ll do ya?” Well, that applies to the Red Eyed Lacquer Da Balm-er for sure! Now I know there has been a little bit of a price increase on this product, but the time to make it and price increases of ingredients used has required the increase. I feel like these last for quite some time though and this is a fabulous product so it is definitely worth it!
As mentioned above, you definitely do not need very much to cover all of your cuticles (or to cover anywhere you use it) with this balm! Like cuticle oil, I personally applied this but didn’t really rub it into my cuticles. I think I might actually recommend doing that so that it soaks in a little bit quicker. BUT also do whatever works best for you. 🙂 I took some before and after use photos and those are below. I definitely noticed a difference–even with some pretty dry cuticles and only one application of the balm.
As mentioned above with the lip balm, please take everything I say here about the scent with a grain of salt. I have lost some sense of smell due to illness, but I do remember smelling it when I received it so I think my scent description is still accurate. It is a very nice clean scent. Almost like a clean cotton in my opinion. I do pick up citrus and the beach-y / ocean-y scents of driftwood and water. It reminds me of winter and also warmer weather at the same time, and I’m excited to keep using it!

Swamp Gloss

A Doozy Of A Druzy

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Price: $13.00 USD
Inspiration: Druzy
Cap: 200 US / 20 UK
Description: A UCC flakie bomb that shift green/purple/gold and holographic micro glitters with a subtle green/purple shimmer

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My swatches below are 3 coats of polish over a peel off base coat and topped with a quick dry top coat. I had no application issues.

Oh my. This one is nuts! Also, I did only swatch this by itself, but I really should also try it as a topper over other colors.
For my application I actually just applied it like a normal polish and I did not sponge it on, though I suppose you could do that. The crazy color shifts were almost difficult to capture (but of course they’re very easy to see in person, so I don’t know why it was hard to capture in a photo) but I took a handful of my photos in low light conditions so that the back lighting would show the shift better. I think everything felt pretty smooth with only one coat of top coat also which is impressive, and really I just love this polish. I think I will let the photos of this flakie bomb speak for themselves. 🙂

Sweet Heart Polish

Rainbow Moonstone

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Price: $9.00 USD
Inspiration: Rainbow Moonstone is inspired by the stone of the same name.
Cap: None
Description: It is a clear base with super frosty multi color flakes, a splash of rainbow shifting glitters and micro black holo glitters. It can be used as a topper or built up with 3-4 thin layers for a bright shimmer with flashes of color (visible nail line will still be present)

My swatches below are 2 coats of polish over a peel off base coat and topped with one coat of quick dry top coat. I had no application issues.

So I actually swatched this before reading the polish description so unfortunately (?) I only did 2 coats of polish and not 3-4 but I still love it! I honestly still can’t decide if I prefer this one alone or over the mint green creme on the nail wheel below….that is definitely a tough one. Either way, this polish applied very easily even with it being full of flakies and glitters and one coat of top coat was almost enough. Once I put on a matte top coat my nails were completely smooth, so I might recommend 2 coats of top coat, or maybe it doesn’t bother you to have a little bit of texture–I know it didn’t bother me one bit.
Now my favorite part of this polish is the SHIMMER. Oh my gosh. It’s just a lovely polish / topper filled with flakies and then you move your nail up or down and BAM this bright gorgeous silver shimmer shows up. I cannot wait to wear this again!

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Tonshi Mountain Studios

Blue Sodalite

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Price: $2.10 USD
Inspiration: A blue and white marbled wax to pay homage to the gorgeous Blue Sodalite gemstone.
Cap: None
Description: Scent Notes: Blue Raspberry Jolly Rancher Type, Cherry, Fizzy Pop, Fairy Dust.
Individual scent note break down:
•Blue Raspberry Jolly Rancher: Lemon, Orange, Green Apple, Sugar, Raspberry, Blackberry.
•Cherry Bomb: An addictive aroma with excellent throw. Strong without an overpowering sweetness to it.
•Fizzy Pop: Orange Flower, Citrus, Eucalyptus, Pop.
•Fairy Dust: Pomegranate, Citrus, Berry, Musk, Vanilla, Sugar Crystals.
Ingredients: Parasoy Wax, Fragrance Oil, Colorant
Size: 1.4 ounces

Well I finally received this dainty little wax melt and I am so happy that I already bought a backup! I will definitely not regret that purchase.
Now unfortunately my scent is a little bit off due to illness, but I definitely still pick up most of the scent notes so I imagine the scent description is pretty darn accurate.
I only melted half of one of these and got rather good scent throw. I only did half just to avoid overflowing my wax melter (this is now a fear of mine).
As for the scent, I definitely pick up a cherry raspberry fizzy soda (I think I like to compare almost everything to sprite, but I pick up a little bit of sprite) scent. I definitely pick up some cherry and raspberry and maybe some other sweet fruit type scents. There is a citrus-y bubbly scent to it and I am rather enjoying it! I can’t wait to melt it again once I’m back to smelling more accurately. 🙂

I also like to always mention to check out the “melt after” date just to make sure you’re melting the wax once is it ready to be melted! I haven’t had an issue melting before this date, but I am sure the maker knows what they are doing. 😉

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Are you picking up any of these fabulous items? Comment below if you are!