Tip Top of the Line

 Howdy!

As I write this I completely feel like a rockstar...  I was contacted by a wonderful lady named Joan, the Director and Founder of Tip Top Products, about reviewing some of their products.  I was completely shocked and flattered.  Obviously, I said yes.  I was baking cookies Monday when all the sudden my doorbell was ringing and it sounded like the door was about to be broken down.  I rushed to the door and was pleasantly surprised by a mailman asking me to sign for my international package.  Oh, did I mention that Tip Top Products is a South African company!  I could barely contain my excitement when I realized what I was holding.  I tore into the package and started to open the the cello bag before I realized I should take a picture lol  Joan kindly sent me four bottles of polish to review.  From left to right of the bottom line-up in the picture:  Nail Addict by Tip Top Café Café, Love From Above, Dangerous Robot, and Smell the Roses.

To begin with, I ADORE THE BRUSH!  It not the usual thick or thin, but holds the polish in such a way that it evenly disperses it as you pull it across you nail and doesn't drag AT ALL!

First up in the review, my least favorite of the four as far as application/formula is concerned, Love From Above.  Let me qualify that with I adore the brightness and slight silver shimmer (hard to see in the pictures) of this polish.  The picture above is the first coat.  The pictures to the left and right alternative three and two coats from the index finger down to the pinkie with no top coat.  I think a topcoat might bring out the shimmer more, but didn't think to try it until after my sweet dog, Buddy, messed up the swatches.  I polish is on thin side, so I definitely recommend three thinish coats to achieve even opacity.  I am looking forward to future art with this polish.

Next up is a polish that I am completely over the moon about and my mother (who doesn't wear polish on her fingernails hardly EVER) was completely drooling over.  Café Café is a camel tan with a wonderful gold shimmer.  The formula is the perfect consistency.  Thick, but not gloopy, still thin enough to spread easily.  The picture to the right is just one coat in two different lights.  The pictures below are two coats with no top coat, and the shimmer is completely alive.  This is a polish that I, and apparently my mother, will get many a mile out of.  I just wish that the bottle were bigger!

Smell the Roses is right on par with Café Café.  The same perfect consistency, maybe a little better even.  If you look to the right, the picture is only one coat! Someone could totally get away with wearing it this way.  It is such a gorgeous bright and rosy, but deep, reddish pink.  It's actually really hard to completely describe and capture this stunning shimmery polish.  The below pictures are two coats and no top coat.  Again, the shimmer is dancing in the light even without the top coat.

The next polish is actually a jelly based polish, of which I own very few.  Jellies aren't usually my thing honestly.  I prefer polishes that end up opaque and jellies never quite seem to get there, even an extremely pigmented one like this.  But, I was very impressed by this polish.  And even if I weren't, the name is ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!  I would love to hear how it came about it's name :)  Above to the right is one coat (ring finger) versus two coats (pinkie).  Below that is two (ring finger) versus three (pinkie).  And finally at the end is three (ring finger) versus four (pinkie).  Interestingly, in the last picture the polish on pinkie seems opaque, but in real life it wasn't quite there.  I considering attempting my first jelly sandwich with Dangerous Robot.  Actually, I'm dying to try a jelly sandwich with Dangerous Robot!  So definitely be on the look out for that NOTD :D

I want to say a BIG, HUGE, Texas-sized "THANK YOU" to Joan and Tip Top Products for choosing me to review their wonderful products.  I am so grateful and still so flattered and surprised.  I look forward to ordering more polishes from from Tip Top one day in the future.  Until then, there will definitely be plenty of NOTD manicures with the ones above. :D  Don't forget to like them on Facebook either!

Thanks & Gig 'em!

**** The products reviewed in this post were provided at no cost to myself by the company for my honest review.  The opinions expressed above are my own, completely honest, and unbiased.  I received no further compensation than the polishes themselves.****

Teeny Bit of Essie Bikini So Teeny

I recently convinced my husband (man, I love saying that!!!) that I needed some new polish.  Ok, maybe I simply convinced him that I was deserving of a treat. lol.  And since I had coupons for Ulta I decided to get a couple of colors from the new Essie collection.  I debated a bit.  I really liked Bikini So Teeny, but felt that I had a similar blue here at home.  With that in mind and Wade's votes I settled on Off the Shoulder and Mojito Madness.

Mojito Madness is a slightly muted kelly green.  More like the color of actual mint leaf lol  I was really on the fence about this color until it go on my nails, then I loved it!  Which, might I add, is completely out of character for me since I am SO not normally a green person. Not only did I love the color, but the application was a breeze, even with the tiny brush.

Off the Shoulder was equally amazing.  Bright, cheerful, and honestly the closest comparison I can think of is the color of Double Bubble just after you start chewing it (sorry if that was a little too gross for anyone, but it is the closest color comparison I can manage).  Application was wonderful for this polish, as well.  I see myself getting alot of wear out of Off the Shoulder this season.


 I had a little bit of extra time that day and was feeling spunky, so I added a little art, including a rhinestone for the first time ;)  I used Essie Bachelorette Bash off the shoulder to create a diagonal path of various sized polka dots on all but my index fingers.  Then, I use Bachelorette Bash to create a four petal flower on the top, outside (pinky-side) corner as to make sure that it was focal point.  Finally, I added a tiny green rhinestone in the center of each set of the petals to complete the flowers and topcoated.  And, viola!  I got so many compliments on this mani and I truly adore the flower nails!  I will most definitely do another manicure with these flowers as the inspiration.

On a related note...  I had always been nervous about using rhinestones in a design, but I have a tendency to chip my polish, as I am pretty hard on my nails.  But, when I changed this manicure to do my Jubilee Manicure.  I had to WORK to get the rhinestone off!  So, for those of you interested, but timid towards rhinestones, try it!  They apparently stay put... lol!  (please excuse the staining, just part of having fabulously decorated nails ;))

Thanks & Gig 'em!

Essie Wedding 2012 Collection Review & Swatches

For anyone that doesn’t know me, I LOVE Essie.  Essie the brand that started this wonderful addiction.  I actually have more than seventy bottles of Essie nail polish, by far the majority of my collection.  So for today I have a review and some swatches of Essie’s Wedding 2012 Collection.  I wasn’t super excited about this collection at first, but then I saw them in person and had to have them immediately.  Plus, they are the perfect Easter/spring colors!


First up, Like to be Bad.  I adore the sweet color.  It has a shimmer in the bottle that doesn’t quite translate to the nail as much as I would like seeing as I really have to look for it, even in direct sunlight  (obviously you can’t see it at all in the picture), but the color is still a great pastel pink to have in the collection.  Formula-wise it applied easily, but was a little thin, so I did three thin coats to get it even.
Second, Instant Hot.  This is the color that surprised me the most.  I wasn’t going to get it at first, but decided that I should get the whole collection.  It is a slightly blushed white with a shimmer.  Again, the shimmer doesn’t translate well to the nail compared to the bottle (again imperceptible in the picture).  But, I will definitely use this color as a background for some nail art that I don’t want a super stark white for.  This one was also a little thin, so I did three thin coats here to get it even.  I definitely recommend a ridge filler if you have any notable ridges.  You can see mine peeking through a little near my cuticle because I just used a regular basecoat.

Next, Who’s the Boss?.  This might be my favorite of the collection (it’s a VERY close race between this one and Love & Acceptance).  Who’s the Boss?  is a pastel blue green that looks more blue or green depending on the light.  I did three thin coats here, but I think I will just do two regular coats next time I do a mani with it.

Finally, Love & Acceptance.  As I said above, this color is battling for my favorite of the collection.  It is definitely my favorite formula-wise.  This took just two coats, slightly thin.  (please excuse the line in the center of the nail in the picture, I had to patch it after I dinged it and didn’t realize that it showed so badly in the picture until it was too late to take another :( )
Another great collection from Essie overall.  I must say the formula isn’t as nice as it usually is on a couple of them, but nothing too frustrating or not worth dealing with.  My only real complaint is not with the polishes themselves, but the brush and handle of all Essie polishes.  I did not know how much they bothered me until I started trying other polishes and was like, “Wow!  That brush is awesome!”  The Essie brush is definitely not unmanageable or annoying enough that I stop using it, obviously since I have more than seventy bottles lol, but it is not my favorite.

I liked the skittles (well, more like Easter M&Ms swatch so much that I decided to add a fifth color and wear it as a mani.  I ended up adding Orly Spark as my thumb color.  For the record, I got Spark to do a rubber ducky mani and am not in love with it as a base color.  I ended up with four very thin coats and it was still uneven and had bald spots.  On the upside, I love Orly’s brush and handle :).



I was planning on doing some stamping over this on day two, but when my fiancé got home he noticed my nails almost immediately (pretty uncommon, also for the record) and wasn’t a big fan.  So I changed it lol  That made four manicures in four days!

Thanks & Gig ‘em!
Jessica