// Press Sample //
February is coming hard and fast! Of course, one of the events that mark this month is Valentines Day! You might want to call this PPU’s version of the celebration, as members chose Duos & Pairs in leu of the tradition lovey-dovey fluff. I love how broad this theme can be interpreted and as usual, makers did not disappoint with their interpretations. Let’s take a look of what they’ve decided to wow us with.
Polish Pickup is a fun Facebook Group where members submit and vote for one theme for the month. Afterward, indie makers create a polish or product based on the decided theme. Members can make purchases through the Polish Pickup website during the four-day shopping window, where you can pick as little or as many items as you desire. The flat rate shipping price of US $3.00/CAD $5.00 is the cherry on top. Evidenced by its rapid growth, PPU is a very clever concept that has introduced me to many new indie brands, as well as given a wider stage for smaller, well-loved ones.
A new group, Indie Pickup, has been created to house most of the extra non-polish items that came along with the explosive growth of Polish Pickup. IPU will follow the same chosen theme and its sale and shipping schedule will now run in tandem with Polish Pickup. Yay for combined shipping!
With the theme of February being Duos, some of the makers have decided to pair up to better portray their chosen inspiration. I won’t have swatches for complete duos but within my post, I will indicate if the maker’s polish is part of a set.
Cameo Colours Lacquers – Dude, We’re A Little Married
Turk & JD from Scrubs
I’m so glad to be celebrating one of my favorite duos of all time, Turk & JD; the epitome of bromance. Cameo created a lovely cool toned thermal which reflects the colors of their scrubs. This thermal features an effortless blend of blue-green and indigo-purple shifting shimmers, indigo and midnight holographic sparkles, holographic microflakes and some lime green to blue to gold ultra chrome chameleon flakes. When cool, this polish base is green and then warms up to cool blue. The polish has an easy jelly consistency, a bit sheer on the first coat but builds to depth quickly. The shimmer in here is bold and gives this a bit of a frosted look. I’m wearing three thin coats with a glossy topcoat.
$10.00 // 100 bottles available
Colors By Llarowe – How About A Brownie, Dogg?
Snoop Dogg & Martha Stewart*
Leah Ann and Christy introduce us to our first polish duo, celebrating the magnificent oddity that is Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart! Leah Ann settled on brownies for her inspiration. I mean, what goes better with Snoops favorite pastime?! How About A Brownie, Dogg is a rich, brownie colored linear holographic with shifts of gold to green to red from the addition of OG UP pigment. This polish is so rich and decadent, exactly what you want your brownie to be, without the holographic bling. I absolutely love rich chocolate nail polish and what makes this a winner for me is how freakin opaque it is. I shouldn’t be surprised, a lot of Leah Ann’s polishes are one coaters but this was a delightful surprise. I’m wearing one coat with a glossy topcoat.
*This is one part of a duo with KB Shimmer which you can find below.
$11.00 // no limit
What did you put in those brownies Martha??
Dany Vianna – Portable Swamp
Fred & George Weasley – Harry Potter
You guys may know by now, but if you don’t, I love muddy, green, prugly polishes. Dany hits the spot for me with Portable Swamp. Ugh, it’s so absolutely gorgeous. The polish has a muddied greenish-teal holographic jelly base, mixed in with multichrome glitters and multichrome flakes. The teal jelly base gets additional hues from the glitter and those large flakes. It has a bit of a sheer quality but the flakes really builds this up. I’m wearing three coats with a glossy topcoat.
$12.00 // 100 bottles available
We got inspiration from the famous twins Fred and George Weasley, from the HP saga. In the OTP book, when they leave Hogwarts to pursue their dream of a prank store they leave behind a Portable Swamp xD
Fanchromatic Nails – Twu Wuv
Buttercup & Westley – The Princess Bride*
So, cool lilac shades don’t usually draw me in. I love seeing them on others but on me, most times the coolness of it makes my skin look slightly off. In comes Twu Wuv to with a pair of heart shaped, rose colored glasses to change my mind. Twu Wuv is a pretty, shimmery light purple crelly, with a mix of pastel and iridescent glitters, blue and gold microflakes, and a touch of micro iridescent flakes.There’s a subtlety and delicacy to this shade that I was entranced by. The application is smooth with a glitters and flakes easily accessible. It is pretty sheer on the first coat but builds up nicely with some depth from the glitter. A slight bumpiness is left behind but smooths out effortlessly with topcoat. For daily wear, I think two coats will suffice but here, I’m wearing three thin coats with a glossy topcoat.
*This is one part of a duo with My Indie Polish.
$11.00 // 75 bottles available
Femme Fatale – Sol
The Sun
Sophie drew inspiration from our large, blazing star; the sun! Sol starts off in a blue creme base with dusky grey tones, a red to gold to green shifting shimmer, and some red to green iridescent flakes. This polish has a multifaceted look to it which is brought on by the shimmers and flakes. I absolutely love the depth here, it gives such a good, vampy look. The shimmers adds a warming effect to the overall look. The consistency is great, just a minor drag from the flakes. I’m wearing two coats with a glossy topcoat.
$13.00 // no limit
Jior Couture – The Kids Are Alright
Chloe x Halle
Did you know that Jior Couture is a duo itself. Sacha and her daughter Ari run this Georgia based brand. Ari took the helm when it came to inspiration, settling on Chloe x Halle. The Kids Are Alright (named after their debut album) is a grey temperature sensitive polish. When cool, it’s a charcoal grey which then warms up to a silvery clear base. This jelly base is filled ultra chrome chameleon flakes, UP pigment and a sprinkling of black micro glitter. I love it in it’s warm state, those UCC flakes make this polish come alive!
My hands were really cold when capturing this and I kinda struggled nailing down that warm to cool transition. It’s also on the subtle side with this monochromatic palette. I’m wearing three coats with a glossy topcoat.
$11.50 // no limit
Chloe x Halle are so graceful, humble, and amazing performers.
JReine Cosmetics – Show Me Sumtin
Boobs & Beads – New Orleans
I always expect to get a surprising inspiration from our lovely makers. I can’t say that I’m surprised to find boobs in the mix but I will say that when I noticed Jill’s inspiration was flashing for beads, it made complete sense! Show Me Sumtin is a violet jelly base, teeming with OG UP, Aurora shimmer, multichrome and crystal flakes. There’s a lot of movement in this polish (on par for the inspo ;)) with a lovely bit of warmth from the shimmer. On application, it shows a tad sheer but builds nicely showing off those flakes and shimmers. I’m wearing three coats with a glossy topcoat.
$15.00 // no limit
KB Shimmer – Fo Shizzle
Snoop Dogg & Martha Stewart*
Have I said how much I’m in love with this duo. I (platonically) ship them without remorse. Christy’s cannabis inspired Fo Shizzle prefaces Leah Ann’s brownies. The base here is a lush, organic green entwined with green unicorn flakes, and featuring a linear holographic flame. I love the depth the endless flakes add to this polish. These flakes apply well and show easily in the jelly base. Fo Shizzle is scented with patchouli and clove in an attempt to mimic that signature scent. In my nasal congestion, I could still detect that it’s earthy and sharp. Here, I’m wearing two coats with a glossy topcoat.
$10.00 // no limit
There are many iconic duos: Bert and Ernie, PB&J, Sonny and Cher. But, when Leah Ann of Colors by LLarowe and I went to pick a duo, we chose one of the most unique pairings of all: Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart!…For February’s Duo theme, I was inspired by Snoop and his unabashed love for the chronic.
Moonflower Polish – Ken, I Pink I Love You
Barbie & Ken*
We have another maker duo, yay! Nadia and Sabrina settled on Barbie and Ken for their inspiration. Nadia’s bright barbie pink polish is a welcomed palate cleanser. I was honestly surprised by just how smooth the application of this polish was. It’s so bold and bright, but the formula is incredibly buttery. The consistency is slightly on the thicker side and it came very near to one coat for me. Also, it dries to a comfortable matte finish, needing a glossy topcoat to really get those shimmers going. This color is hella bright, y’all; my poor camera just couldn’t deal. I’m wearing two coats with a glossy topcoat. For nail art, I decided to pair with Sabrina’s polish which you will see more off later.
Nadia mentioned the possibility of staining with this polish but I didn’t experience that.
This is one part of a duo with Zombie Claw Polish.
$12.50 // 75 bottles available
Necessary Evil Polish – Kitty!
Sully & Boo – Monsters Inc
Tamara’s contribution for Feb PPU Duo is inspired by Sulley and Boo. This is such a spot on adaptation on Sully fuzzy coat. Kitty is a teal leaning blue base mixed with scattered holographic, lots of UCC flakes and aurora and purple shimmer. That purple shimmer is a bit shy on camera but it really kicks this one up. The application is smooth with the flakes finding their place with ease. Kitty dries down to a glossy finish. I’m wearing two coats with a glossy topcoat.
$12.00 // no limit
Painted Polish – Dusk To Dawn
Dusk & Dawn
How dark and twisty is Lexi’s Dusk to Dawn. I like that she went with this as her inspiration. The base here is a cool, steely blue-grey which comes to life with a mix of pink and gold color-shifting flakes and pops of color from holographic glitters. The application is easy and grows to opacity quickly. I’m wearing two coats with a glossy topcoat.
$12.00 // 400 bottles available
“Dawn and dusk are mutual friends of the sun; one opens the door for him to a brand new day and the other one has to shut it to embrace the darkness of night.” – Munia Khan
Pampered Polishes – Ketchup
Ketchup & Mustard*
Timberlin teamed with Rachel for this super cute inspiration. Well, ketchup and mustard isn’t really cute but the idea conjures these mini condiment bottles; super cute, right?! Here we have some satisfyingly squishy Ketchup. This is a bright red jelly base with complementing red and holographic micro glitter and a blend of holographic and ultra chrome chameleon flakes. The application is effortless, the formula opaque enough for flake appreciation and it dries to a high glossy finish. This is more of a pink toned red than orange, so it does carry that pink undertone. I’m wearing three coats with a glossy topcoat.
*This is one part of a duo with Rogue Lacquer.
$12.00 // no limit
Rogue Lacquer – Mustard
Mustard & Ketchup*
Well, this worked out perfectly. Rachel’s Mustard is part of a duo with a just previously shown Ketchup. A mustard polish? Heck yeah!! I growled in pleasure when I unwrapped this one, revealing this absolutely gorgeous prugly crelly. Broken record as it may be, gimme ALL the pruglies! Rachel’s piece here is a sharp mustard crelly base with copper, red to bronze shifting ultra chrome chameleon flakes. On first application, it’s a little sheer but boy does it build up nicely. I’m wearing three thin coats with a glossy topcoat.
*This is one part of a duo with Pampered Polishes.
$12.00 // no limit
The Lady Varnishes – Sky Reflection
Sea & Sky
Kirsten was inspired by one of my all time favorite duos, Sea & Sky. Sky Reflections is an azure blue base with bright sterling silver flakes and a red to gold shimmer. This polish has so much depth with an addition of warmth from the shimmer. Something about this polish makes me want to sigh with relaxed pleasure. The flakes are abundant and are well dispersed with every brushstroke. I’m wearing three coats with a glossy topcoat.
$12.50 // 95 bottles available
Zombie Claw Polish – Barbie, We Were Mint To Be
Barbie & Ken*
Finally, we meet the other half of the Barbie & Ken duo. Sabrina’s Barbie, We Were Mint To Be is a happy and bright mint green base. To this, we note a sparkling silver micro pigment, a mixture of shifty blue to pink to green and blue to gold to green flakes, holographic glitters and slight blue shimmer. The formula here is easy to work with, allowing all the elements to shine through. I’m wearing three thin coats with a glossy topcoat.
$12.50 // 75 bottles available
What a beautiful array of color! As always, this is just a snippet of what’s available so be sure to check out other bloggers for more polishes. Bloggers of the month are Jenne and Courntey.
Make sure you’re part of the Facebook Group and you’ve built your wishlists on the Polish Pickup site.
Available from on Friday, February 1st, 11 am EST, to Monday, February 4th, 11:59 pm EST from Polish Pickup Online
Polish Pickup Social: Web // Facebook // Instagram // Facebook Group
For a live show and swatch of the polishes available this round of Polish Pickup, don’t miss Delanie of Fat Cat Pawlished‘s live events on Facebook!
Don’t forget to check out Indie Pickup whose items will be available at the same time as Polish Pickup.
