Happy Monday all! Are you all lagging from the sugar and overindulgence of Easter feasts and Cadbury Eggs? I know I am!
But regardless, I have a new post for you today and I think it is a pretty great one. I have swatches of the newest nail polish release from
Urban Decay: The Summer of Love Nail Kit, part of the Summer of Love collection of make-up and beauty products influenced by the rebellious 1960s.
The collection is 7 shades in mini, 5ml (0.17 fl oz) bottles in a little zip pouch, just like the Apocalyptic Nail Kit that released in the fall.
The pouch has "Summer of Love" on the front and "Psychedelic Sister" forward and backward on the back with that cool, trippy font. I wish I had that font to write this post with.
Shine On - This is a metallic, shimmery taupe. I know taupe doesn't normally sound exciting but Urban Decay knows how to make it exciting. Plus I think it is so fitting for this collection. This is 2 coats.
Woodstock - This is a neon pink creme and as always, please remember that neons are not the best photo subjects. Although this swatch does look pretty bright. Please excuse that bit of debris on my ring finger. That was my fault, not the polish's! This does dry on the matte side as most neons do, but in atypical neon fashion, this is not thin and watery. It has a very pigmented formula and is perfect in two coats. Hmm! That is interesting! This is 2 coats.
Love Light - This is a shimmery, sheer peach. I know most
LL readers are not fans of shades like this, but that doesn't mean people don't like them. There are folks who would say this is right up their alley. I know my sister would love this. I actually felt great about it once I got in on for this swatch. I would normally never want to rock something that would show my tips underneath, but I really like this look! *feels forehead* Maybe because it is soooo shimmery it hides my yellow nails well and looks really interesting? I don't know, but I like it. And if you don't like it alone, you can rock it layered over some of the other shades in this kit. Observe:
Shine On + Love Light
Woodstock + Love Light
Hashbury - Very cleverly named after "Haight and Ashbury" but made into one word. This is a very vibrant, red-purple with flashy shimmer. At first when I got this kit I thought that this shade would be dupable but it definitely is not. At least not with anything in my stash. This is unique to my collection for sure. It is firery and beautiful and who doesn't love purple? This is 2 coats.
Magic Bus - I love this shade! I know I am biased as an orange lover, but it is so great to see an orange release. We don't get many of them. It is similar to
L'Oreal - Sizzling Tangerine so it's not unique, but I think it is awesome and so fitting to the premise of this collection. This swatch is two coats.
Aquarius - I am sure this is going to be the fave of this collection. And everytime I think about it I start singing in my head: "This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius, age of Aquariu-us!" It never fails. This is a glowing Caribbean blue/shimmering teal/aqua just gorgeous shade of blue-green that is scene stealing! I don't find it terribly unique. I don't have exact dupes but it is reminiscent of
Rimmel - Green with Envy and
Wet n Wild - Caribbean Frost. This swatch is three coats.
Psychedelic Sister - Urban decay describes this shade as "bright coral" which is a fine description but I actually find it to be more red than coral. And I don't find it bright, actually. I think that is what I like about it. It is a faded red. It reminds me of an old, faded bandanna. So although "red creme" sounds boring, this one is unique. It almost got worn today but the BF picked out a blue for me instead! Oh, and this swatch is 2 coats.
Formula-wise this collection was pretty consistent at being awesome. Most were 2 coats and the all glide on effortlessly. The only one that broke that mold was
Aquarius. I found it to be on the thin side and had to give it 3 coats, but I am sure people will love the shade enough to look past that flaw.
I feel people may be thinking these shades are not drool-worthy enough but I have fallen for it for a couple reasons: 1) The "Summer of Love" premise gets me and I find that the shades really capture a retro, hippie feel. Was I around in the 60s to confirm this? No, but I still feel it! 2) I like the collection all together rather than looking at each shade individually. Maybe it is a bit of a collector vibe I am feeling because it is Urban Decay? After I got myself their Book of Shadows II in the fall I swore I would get any and all books they released like that and so when the Alice in Wonderland palette came out I jumped on that too. And since I got the Apocalyptic Nail Kit (the day it came out, mind you) I like that I have this one to go with it and will probably treat any future nail polish releases from Urban Decay the same. It's just that Urban Decay love that I know is felt by many make-up junkies. What is it about these guys?! They really know how to make their fans fall in love with them.
So overall this set gets the thumbs up from me and I especially love
Psychedelic Sister, Aquarius, Hashbury and
Love Light. I really want to wear
Psychedelic Sister with
Love Light over it!
The Summer of Love Nail Kit is available now and retails for $28. It is only available as the set, not individual shades. Shop
here. And while you are at it, don't forget the Apocalyptic Nail Kit has been reduced to $18.
Disclosure: The products featured in this post were furnished to me by the manufacturer or PR company for review. For more information please visit my disclosure policy.
L to R: Illusion D'or +
Dark shades really make that "illusion glitter" pop!
Anyway, these looked so cool I thought I would try on one on the lame nail to model for you. The style is "Starry Sky" and I really like these. They have a semi-transparent, milky, soft, french pink for the base and the tip is dark blue with bright blue glitter that looks a little iridescent. Really pretty.
Check out that close up! Awesomeness.
These don't have a name just a number: 71000. They are your classic french manicure. I really like the way the white fades away with little dots rather than having a definitive line.
These are style number 77935. Again a classic french, but the base has a sparkly, crystal shimmer which I think is super pretty.
This is my tooties over the weekend in a fantabulous new pair of wedges I got from TJ Maxx. They are super high (at least 4") but so comfy! I am going to wear them all summer and destroy them, I just know it. And what is on my toes?!! China Glaze - Flip Flop Fantasy AKA Best Pedi Color EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And this is a amazing shot my girl friend took of my baby, Cash over the weekend. Ready....... AAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!
Chanel - Illusion D'or
Check out this bottle shot! This is a shimmery sheer gold with what I thought were going to be holo glitter but it is not. There are very thin, iridescent particles that are sort of like a flakie but they aren't flakie either! They are their own category. I guess you can call them "magic". Or "Illusion glitter" but I must say again... it's not glitter. It's awesomeness.
Here it is next to Claire's - Goldmine, which is a gold with holo glitter. See the difference? The glitter is holo and flashing all colors, while the Chanel "illusion glitter" is more iridescent and flashes mostly blurple and blue. Also the glitter are dense, metallic particles while the Chanel has these very thin, fairy dust-ish pieces.
This is Illusion D'or alone in 4 coats. It is rather sheer. You'll probably want to layer it. You could layer it over gold, or black if you want the iridescent pieces to pop more, or white, or pretty much whatever you want.
For today's mani I decided to rock it over a soft white: Essie - Marshmallow. Here is 3 coats in my daylight bulb.
Here it is in the shade outside. (definitely click on this one!!)
And here it is in the sun!
m] 
Show IPA 
Who Are You Wearing? - I love shades like this! It's a soft, slightly gray, white creme. The only drawback was that I had to do 4 coats of it and it still looks a bit streaky.
High Society - This is a "greige" creme. I like the look of it a lot and it's a great alternative to Deborah Lippmann's Waking Up In Vegas which I compared here. It's on the thin side though and needed three coats.
Best Dressed List - I really liked the look of this tan in the bottle but I don't find it flattering on my nails. :c( Too bad. It reminds me of a baby deer. This is two coats.
Charity Ball - I was so excited to get this shade. I love an odd polish color and this one definitely is. Question was, though, is it going to be ugly-pretty or just plain ugly once I got it on? Well I can say that I love it on me! It's so odd but works. This is three coats.
Uptown Girl - Dusty, grayed purple. Always chic. This is two coats.
She's So Glam - I don't normally go for pinks and definitely not Barbie, bubblegum pinks like this, but I have to admit the truth: I really like my nails in this. This is three coats.
Ms. Socialite - And my favorite! This is a very rich, red sided purple creme and I love it! This swatch is two coats. It has the best application of all these shades too. Very smooth, pigmented and easy to apply.
My Flat Splat manicure!
I started with a base of Orly - Matte Vinyl, an awesome super flat, black creme and then stamped with Konad plate M21 and various, bright, chrome polishes.
I used six different chrome shades for this look:
And we can leave out righty!
I used China Glaze - 2030 to stamp with. I adore chrome stamped on matte. It' s like my favorite thing ever! I wish that the badge came out crisper. In person it doesn't look bad but this zoomed close-up shot doesn't flatter it.
I love the little gun!
Black label on left, green label (B3F) on right
Royal Flush Blush - This is a blush pink metallic. Has some brush strokes but I could live with it. I don't know that I would actually ever wear it though.
Pink-Ing of You - Now this one I have heard of. Unfortunately this one broke on my friend. I really don't trust OPI bottles. She managed to save most of it and put it in a Cover Girl bottle. The application was rather horrible. I needed to do 4 coats and it still isn't even but it may be because of the Cover Girl brush. I don't know.
God Save The Queen's Nails - I love this one for the name. And that is about it. The application was rather uneven and needed three coats. And the color rather bores me. Burgundy shimmer...whatever. Next.
Gala Gold - This I can get on board with. This is a gold shimmer. I did three coats for this swatch. What I love about it is that it is not like any other gold I have seen. It isn't a warm yellow gold, but it isn't a neutral or rose gold either. It is like a peach gold? Does that make sense? Whatever it is I like it a lot.
Japanese Rose Garden - Oooh. Another winner. I know it is pink, but it is a pink I really like! It is a creamy, cool pink with a bit of silver shimmer. This swatch is two coats.
Prince George's Passion - Another great name! This is a dusty brick red creme. I am sure OPI has a million of them but this one is nice. This swatch is two coats for the camera, but I wore it as a mani a couple weekends ago and I was able to do just one coat! And it looked great! I wore it for a few days.
Hawaiian Orchid - Another winner! This is a sheer which I wouldn't normally get excited about, but I want to use it for a french mani real bad. It is super smooth and streak free and it has a bit of a blueish flashy shimmer.
Mother Road Rose - I found this rather similar to God Save The Queen's Nails so another snooze fest really, but the application was better than GSTQN. This was two coats.
This is 2 coats of Psychedelic Sister topped with one coat of Love Light. This is super pretty and doing a great job of taking my attention! I love the glints of green and pink from the shimmer and this red is so pretty and interesting! Not your typical red, that's for sure.
I was wearing Diamond Cosmetics - Serendipity yesterday and thought I would add something to it instead of redoing my nails for today. I added a bow with Konad plate M59 China Glaze - Awaken, China Glaze - Millennium and a dotting tool. It's just a nice little added touch to an already great mani.
Have a great day! Hope you have clear skies where you are!
Happy Monday all! Are you all lagging from the sugar and overindulgence of Easter feasts and Cadbury Eggs? I know I am!
The collection is 7 shades in mini, 5ml (0.17 fl oz) bottles in a little zip pouch, just like the Apocalyptic Nail Kit that released in the fall.
The pouch has "Summer of Love" on the front and "Psychedelic Sister" forward and backward on the back with that cool, trippy font. I wish I had that font to write this post with.
Shine On - This is a metallic, shimmery taupe. I know taupe doesn't normally sound exciting but Urban Decay knows how to make it exciting. Plus I think it is so fitting for this collection. This is 2 coats.
Woodstock - This is a neon pink creme and as always, please remember that neons are not the best photo subjects. Although this swatch does look pretty bright. Please excuse that bit of debris on my ring finger. That was my fault, not the polish's! This does dry on the matte side as most neons do, but in atypical neon fashion, this is not thin and watery. It has a very pigmented formula and is perfect in two coats. Hmm! That is interesting! This is 2 coats.
Love Light - This is a shimmery, sheer peach. I know most LL readers are not fans of shades like this, but that doesn't mean people don't like them. There are folks who would say this is right up their alley. I know my sister would love this. I actually felt great about it once I got in on for this swatch. I would normally never want to rock something that would show my tips underneath, but I really like this look! *feels forehead* Maybe because it is soooo shimmery it hides my yellow nails well and looks really interesting? I don't know, but I like it. And if you don't like it alone, you can rock it layered over some of the other shades in this kit. Observe:
Shine On + Love Light 
Woodstock + Love Light
Hashbury - Very cleverly named after "Haight and Ashbury" but made into one word. This is a very vibrant, red-purple with flashy shimmer. At first when I got this kit I thought that this shade would be dupable but it definitely is not. At least not with anything in my stash. This is unique to my collection for sure. It is firery and beautiful and who doesn't love purple? This is 2 coats.
Magic Bus - I love this shade! I know I am biased as an orange lover, but it is so great to see an orange release. We don't get many of them. It is similar to L'Oreal - Sizzling Tangerine so it's not unique, but I think it is awesome and so fitting to the premise of this collection. This swatch is two coats.
Aquarius - I am sure this is going to be the fave of this collection. And everytime I think about it I start singing in my head: "This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius, age of Aquariu-us!" It never fails. This is a glowing Caribbean blue/shimmering teal/aqua just gorgeous shade of blue-green that is scene stealing! I don't find it terribly unique. I don't have exact dupes but it is reminiscent of Rimmel - Green with Envy and Wet n Wild - Caribbean Frost. This swatch is three coats.
Psychedelic Sister - Urban decay describes this shade as "bright coral" which is a fine description but I actually find it to be more red than coral. And I don't find it bright, actually. I think that is what I like about it. It is a faded red. It reminds me of an old, faded bandanna. So although "red creme" sounds boring, this one is unique. It almost got worn today but the BF picked out a blue for me instead! Oh, and this swatch is 2 coats.
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