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November’s Polish Pickup is upon us and comes bearing the theme of Bad-ass women. What’s fantastic about this theme is that it celebrates women of all kinds, real and fictional, spanning a variety of cultures, ethnicities, classes, and generations.  I expect that we will meet quite a few new champions as well a become acquainted with some favorites. Hey, and I haven’t even mentioned the polish yet! Before we dive into the bad-ass polishes, we’ll do a quick recap for those of you who are unfamiliar with Polish Pickup. Let’s go!

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 will begin two weeks after PPU’s. Check out The Indie Pickup website for more information.

B Polished – Pineapple Bud

Georgia O’Keeffe

We start things off with B Polished. Francine chose Georgia O’Keeffe as her woman this month and was inspired by one of her paintings, Pineapple Bud. The polish shares the same name and is a dusty sage green crelly with UCC flakies. Its depth builds quickly and does not take away from the pops of color from the flakes. I’m wearing two coats with a glossy topcoat.

$12.00 // only 50 available

Baby Girl Lacquer – Flip It N’ Reverse It

Missy Elliott

Boy, am I excited to see Missy here! Her music held a chunk of place in my teenage years. If you’ve been following Nene’s brand for a while, then you know that she absolutely adores Aaliyah and by extension Missy Elliott. Flip It N’ Reverse is a rich duochrome base that shifts between deep blue and purple. Added in is a touch of mixed holographic glitters and a sprinkling of linear holographic. The polish dries to a bit of a bumpy texture due to the glitters in there and the lightness of the base. I’d also advise on allowing each coat to dry thoroughly before applying the next as it does have a tendency to pull off. I’m wearing three coats with a generous brushing of topcoat.

$11.50 // no limit on purchases

Danny Vianna – Poppy Fields

Georgia O’Keeffe

Daniella of By Dany Vianna makes her debut at Polish Pickup with a stunner inspired by artwork from the renowned Georgia O’Keeffe. Poppy Fields is an orange-red jelly base, packed with golden sparks, holographic flakies and a mix of black glitter. This shade is undeniably beautiful and I particularly like how this red looks on my skin tone. I’m wearing three coats with a glossy topcoat.

$11.50 //  100 bottles available

Cameo Colours Lacquers – So, You Wanna Play?

Hit Girl

Cameo chose Hit Girl from the Kick-Ass series as her inspiration for this round. “So, You Wanna Play?” is hella purple, ya’ll! If you stick your tongue out, you can taste the purple in the air around it! The base here is a deep purple jelly, awash with indigo to purple shifting shimmers, with an additional mixing of genuine silver, neon purple, hot pink, gunmetal, and silver holographic micro flakes. It’s so bold and unapologetic! I’m wearing two coats with a glossy topcoat.

$12.00 //  100 bottles available

Femme Fatale – Multipass

Leeloo Dallas

Leeloo Dallas, Multipass! This was one of many of my favorite scenes from The Fifth Element. She was just so excited about her multipass! I need to add this to my evergrowing list for rewatching. Multipass has a beautiful teal green jelly base with scattered holographic particles, contrasting red iridescent flakes and blue shimmer. There’s a refreshing quality to this polish that really appeals to me. I’m wearing three coats with a glossy topcoat.

A low light pic is added to minimize glare and show the flakes.

$14.00 //  no limit on purchases

Jior Couture – The Tigress Of Haiti

Sanité Bélair

Sacha chose the female Haitian revolutionary, Sanité Bélair as her bad-ass woman. Sacha wrote a great piece on Sanité which I will append after this paragraph. The Tigress of Haiti is a black to clear thermal holographic packed with holographic flakes and a punch of red holographic glitter. I have a thing for clear thermals and the red flakes in here are absolute perfection!

$12.95 //  no limit on purchases

25% of sales will be donated to the Lambi Fund of Haiti to help with efforts reforestation in Haiti.

Sanité Bélair Sanité Bélair (born Suzanne Bélair), was a Haitian freedom fighter and revolutionary, and one of the few female soldiers who fought during the Haitian Revolution. She was often described as a ‘Tigress’. She married General Charles Bélair, nephew of Toussaint Louverture. Together, she and her husband are responsible for the uprising of almost the entire enslaved population of L’Artibonite, Haiti, against their enslavers.

 

Sanité Bélair and her husband were capture and sentenced to execution. She was made to watch her husband’s execution to entice fear in her and the slaves forced to watch. Sanité Bélair did not fear death. In fact,as Charles Belair was placed before the detachment which was to shoot him, he listened calmly to the voice of Sanité, exhorting him to die as a brave man. She walked to her death with bravery and defiance, refusing to wear a blindfold. She also refused to be beheaded and demanded to be shot like a soldier! As her last words, she shouted to the people “Viv Libète anba esklavaj!”(“Long live liberty, down with slavery!”) Sanité Bélair, The Tigress of Haiti is truly a Bad Ass Woman!

JReine Cosmetics – Gris Gris

Marie Laveau

Jill of JReine was inspired by the New Orleans born Marie Laveau. Gris Gris is a stunning cherry red jelly base packed with OG Unicorn Pee pigment and crystal shifting flakies! I wasn’t able to capture how much this polish glows. It’s as if there are live embers in there. I’m wearing two coats with a glossy topcoat.

A low light pic is added to minimize glare and show the flakes.

$15.00 //  400 bottles available

Kathleen & Co – I Wish A B*tch Would

Ashley Longshore

Mia chose the artist Ashley Longshore as her bad-ass inspiration behind this magnetic shade. I Wish A B*tch Would has a magnetic multichrome base in berry red with shifts from magenta, purple gold green. When magnetized,  flashes of magenta, copper, green and scattered holo can be seen. The green is at extreme angles and when it mixes in with all the other colors, it really comes alive. I’m wearing three coats with a glossy topcoat.

I’ve added photos at the end without the magnetic effect for those who are not fans of magnetic polish.

$13.00 // only 200 available

Nail Hoot – Trinity

Trinity

Brandie chose Trinity of The Matrix as her choice of badass woman! Once Trin was plugged in, she effortlessly donned all that leather, slicked back hair and pushed out all those killer moves.  Her namesake is a striking multichrome with a blackened purple base that shifts between green, red and purple with holographic sparkling effects and a mix of linear and scattered holographic movements. I’m wearing two coats with a glossy topcoat.

$11.49 //  no limit on purchases

Painted Polish – Badass Beauty

Emma Watson

Lexi is channeling an elegant yet fierce Emma Watson with the polish Badass Beauty. This is a white crelly base packed with an array of with bronze, gold, and silver color-shifting flakies giving an overall antique, vintage look. The flakes are in full display here and they apply and lay very well. I’m wearing two coats with a glossy topcoat.

$12.00 //  no limit on purchases

Here’s what Lexi had to say about her polish…

Painted Polish is back for the Badass Women themed November Polish Pickup! We’ve created ‘Badass Beauty’ with Emma Watson and her Beauty & The Beast Vanity Fair photo shoot as inspiration!

 

After Emma Watson posed for her Vanity Fair photo shoot, she was accused by some of being anti-feminist. Responding to her critics she said, “It just always reveals to me how many misconceptions and what a misunderstanding there is about what feminism is. Feminism is about giving women choice, feminism is not a stick with which to beat other women with, it’s about freedom, it’s about liberation, it’s about equality. I really don’t know what my tits have to do with it.”

 

Emma Watson has also consistently fought for women’s rights and education from the beginning of her career. “As a United Nations Women Goodwill Ambassador, she introduced the world to the HeForShe Campaign which invites all genders to step up for equality, a mission she now continues through her work with Time’s Up.” If that’s not badass, I don’t know what is!

Pampered Polishes – Khaleesi

Daenerys Targaryen

I’m not at all surprised to see Daenerys Targaryen represented amongst the badass women. The tiny mother of dragons most definitely holds the title. What is surprising and welcomed is the delicate approach Timberlin decide to take with her. Khaleesi is a pretty white crelly base with UCC flakes, holographic and iridescent particle mixes, gold flakes and a copper shimmer. I’m wearing three coats with a glossy topcoat.

$12.00 //  no limit on purchases

Poetry Cowgirl – Coat Of Many Colors

Dolly Parton

Believe it or not, I grew up listening to Dolly Parton! Her and Kenny Rogers’ Christmas specials were hard to ignore during the season back home. I’m pretty thrilled that Kristen decided to feature this fire-cracker. She’s teaming up with Taylor of Wildflower Lacquer for a Dolly Duo. Taylor’s polish will be my final show.

Coat Of Many Colors is a full coverage glitter bomb filled with various kinds of metallic and holographic glitters and gold micro flakes. It’s overall shade moves between pink and rose gold.  A peel-off base coat is an absolute must here unless scrubbing off glitters happens to be one of your favorite pastimes. I’m wearing three coats with a glossy topcoat.

I’ve added a picture taken in low light to diminish the glow and shine and to allow you to see all the colors of the glitters.

$11.00 //  no limit on purchases

Rogue Lacquer –  Turn On The Light

JK Rowling

I’m so glad that Rachel chose JK Rowling as her badass woman! She has created such an immeasurable, indelible mark with her literature. I’ve been slowly reading the Harry Potter series with my boys and I know that it’s something I can take my time with and they can grow up with.  Turn On The Light is a light beige crelly base chock full of UCC flakes and holographic sparkles. Rachel used the color of the book pages as the base for this polish; how cool is that?! I’m wearing three coats with a glossy topcoat.

$12.00 //  no limit on purchases

Supernatural Lacquer – In Search Of Ourselves

Karen Horney

Stefanie designed the polish In Search of Ourselves in honor of Karen Horney. Horney is an early 20th-century psychiatry pioneer of feminist psychology! The pretty base is a pinky-mauve crelly with contrasting green to purple aurora shimmer, a mix of blue to purple color shifting flakes, baby blue hoping shards and peridot metallic micro flecks. I’m wearing two coats with a glossy topcoat.

A low light pic is added to minimize glare and show the flakes.

$12.50 //  no limit on purchases

10% of profits will be donated to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center https://www.nsvrc.org/

The Lady Varnishes – Kiss Me, Kill Me

Alice Morgan

Kirsten chose the character, Alice Morgan, as her badass behind the polish Kiss Me, Kill Me. Alice is a character on the BBC show Luther which I haven’t watched, but I do know that Idris Elba’s on it. Because you just know these things. Kiss Me, Kill Me is a dusty plum base with red to copper shifting UCC flakes, red to gold chameleon glitter, red micro glitter, and holographic microflakes. I’m wearing two coats with a glossy topcoat.

$12.50 // only 100 available

Wildflower Lacquer – Cups of Ambition

Dolly Parton

Taylor of Wildflower Lacquer wraps things up with this beautiful ode to Dolly Parton. Cups Of Ambition is part of a Dolly Paron duo alongside Kristen of Poetry Cowgirl already shown above. Taylor’s shade is a medium orchid pink with pink and copper shimmer, gold and silver flakies, UCC flakes that shift from red to gold, pink to gold, blue to violet and copper to green. It’s such a fun, happy shade! I’m wearing two coats with a glossy topcoat.

$13.00 // only 200 available

What a fun mix! This is just a snippet of what’s available so be sure to check out other bloggers for more polishes.

Make sure you’re part of the Facebook Group and you’ve built your wishlist on the Polish Pickup site.

Available from on Friday, November 2nd, 11 am EST, to Monday, November 5th, 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 about Indie Pickup November 16th – 19th, featuring all the extra items you’re probably missing!