Freebie Friday: Glitter Macros for Your Phone!

It's FREEBIE FRIDAY! Today I'm starting a new series of posts where I make things and then give them to you for free! I'm not sure how often I'm going to be doing these posts, but it's no matter because FREE! I already have tons of ideas brewing so definitely stay tuned.

A while ago, I posted a tip on Instagram that glitter macros make excellent lock screens for your mobile phones. The tip was really well received and tons of people shared screenshots of their newly glittered phones. Because you guys liked them so much, I've taken some new macros and sized them properly for you!

TO USE: Navigate to this page on your phone (tip: use the shortlink http://bit.ly/freebiefriday01). Tap/click on the photo you want to use to open up the full resolution version. For iPhone and Android users, tap and hold on the photo until a menu comes up. The menu should give you the option to save the photo to your phone, and then you can set it as your wallpaper/lock screen!

IPHONE 4/4S ON LEFT/FIRST  |  IPHONE 5 ON RIGHT/SECOND

(these are high res and should work well for most Android phones as well!)

Cirque - XX

Cirque - Debris

Dollish Polish - Toad-ally Awesome!

Happy Hands Nail Polish - Flowers On the Highway

KBShimmer - Bejeweled

KBShimmer - Squared Away

KBShimmer - Watercolor

Naild'it Unique Nail Polish - Confetti Falls

Naild'it Unique Nail Polish - Peace, Love, and Hairspray

Please do not take these images and post them on your own blog. Instead, if you want to share, I'd ask you to direct people to this post so they can grab them themselves! Don't forget, the shortlink http://bit.ly/freebiefriday01 leads to this post.

Enjoy!

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Shimmer Polish Swatches Part IV

If you're in the mood for glitter today, you're in luck! I have five more Shimmer Polish swatches to share with you guys. You can find my previous posts in my Shimmer Polish label. As with my other posts, I felt it was important to include the macros of these glitters as they are really complex! I want you to be able to get a full feel for what these polishes look like.

First up... Sarah! Hey wait, that's my name! Awesome! Sarah is a mix of blues, greens, and purples. I really love the little pops of purple here. Shown layered over Essence Trust In Fashion.

Elsa is a mix of turquoise, red, and gold. I've shown it over Zoya Jacqueline to let this unique color mix shine.

Alessandra has lovely corals and reds, plus tiny bits of aqua. Definitely a great glitter if you're feelin' saucy! I layered it over OPI My Paprika is Hotter Than Yours.

Irene is a bit different than the usual Shimmer Polish aesthetic, but I like it! It's a very fine, sandy tan shade with tiny bits of color added in, too. This is just one coat, so you could definitely build this one to opacity on its own and you'd probably only need 2 or 2.5 coats. Shown over Nicole by OPI My Jay or the Highway.

Kelly is a perfect St. Patrick's Day shade. It begins with a fine green glitter and adds chunkier gold pieces. I think this might be one of my favorite Shimmer Polishes that I've ever tried! Shown over OPI Jade Is the New Black.

Once again, I just can't rave enough about these formulas. The glitter is plentiful, the base is smooth and nicely thin, and the glitter applies evenly to the nail. They aren't super hungry for topcoat, but you will need to use a good thick one for smoothness. If you're a fan of high density metallic glitter mixes, Shimmer is your brand!

Shimmer Polish can be shopped on Etsy or on the Shimmer website. You can also keep up with the brand on Facebook and Twitter.

Products sent for review.

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Happy Hands Nail Polish - Faint of Heart Collection

Oh boy are you guys in for a treat today! I have swatches of the new Happy Hands Faint of Heart Collection to share with you, and I am totally and completely enamored with each and every one of these. They are all inspired by Kristi's favorite songs of unconventional love and heartache, but there's no heartache here -- just polish lust!

Am I Not Yours? is a gorgeous teal/green jelly base with shades of blue, green, and teal glitters. It's very sparkly and deep. Seriously gorgeous. This is three coats, but my swatch notes say that you could definitely get away with two in person. I also think this would be gorgeous layered over a polish like China Glaze Exotic Encounters.

For You, My Love... is a nude based polish with different sizes of red glitters in it. It also has a pink-to-gold shimmer that would unfortunately only photograph gold for me. Trust me though, it's very pretty! This is one coat of FYML over OPI My Vampire is Buff, though you could probably build this up to opacity alone in three coats.

The Worst is Over is a dusty purple semi-opaque jelly with orange, red, pink, purple, and teal glitters. Here I've chosen to layer it over OPI You're Such a Budapest, but again, you could build it to opacity alone in 2-3 coats. This one was a surprise favorite for me. I love the combination of glitter colors in the base.

Metal Heart is, um... what's the word... KILLER. Guys, just look at it. This raspberry jelly is filled with pink, purple, and black glitters, plus micro red holographic glitter and blue-purple iridescent glitters. In my opinion, the iridescent glitters take this polish from pretty to heart-stopping. The accents of electric violet really pop in the pink base, and the black provides an interesting contrast. This one was a little thick because of the sheer amount of glitter in it, so just take your time when applying. I've shown three coats.

Because of the amount of glitter in some of these, you may need a couple of coats of topcoat to get a glassy smooth look. That's a small sacrifice though, no?

And of course you knew I was gonna do macros.

I've shown some fantastic Happy Hands polishes on this blog, but I have to say that I think this collection has to be my favorite yet. These are all so different from each other, and so complex and beautiful. Which ones are you enjoying?

Happy Hands polishes retail for $10 each and ship domestically and internationally. There will be a restock in the Etsy shop today at 5pm EST (including this collection). Then, around midnight, Happy Hands will be starting their transition to a BigCartel shop. At that point, www.happyhandsnailpolish.com will point to their BigCartel instead of Etsy, though Etsy will still have stock.

You can also keep up with Happy Hands on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Products sent for review.

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Pretty & Polished Save the Dauphine Collection

Good morning! Today's post includes the upcoming Pretty and Polished Save the Dauphine Collection. These polishes are all inspired by and named for things concerning Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. I will be sure to include some links to Wikipedia so you guys can learn while you enjoy the polish (as I did)! :)

Hameau is inspired by the Hameau de la Reine, a cottage built for Marie Antoinette. The nude base is meant to be reminiscent of the color of the cottage, while the glitters stand in for the flowers and grounds that surround it. I found the formula of this one to be really nice, and I believe I used two coats for the swatch below.

Let Them Eat Cake, a phrase commonly attributed to Marie Antoinette, is a sweet polish with a light base and white, pink, and yellow glitters. I used three coats for the photo below.

The Diamond Necklace Affair is an iridescent glitter polish. In the bottle, it looks primarily blue (check out the end of the post for a macro)! I layered it over black so you guys could see the glitters more easily -- this is just one coat and it applied flawlessly. The actual affair ruined Marie Antoinette's already tarnished reputation by accusing her of attempting to defraud the crown jewelers.

Louis Louis was inspired by King Louis XVI. This polish is quite kingly, and reminds me of the kinds of colors that you might see on a fancy palace rug or chaise. It features a green-gold base with red round glitters and royal blue smaller hex glitters. Below I've shown one coat over black as well as three coats alone.

I've also taken some bottle macros of this collection.

Which ones are you guys feeling? You can also find an album of bottle shots of this collection on the P&P Facebook.

I love the inspiration for this collection, I think it's so unexpected and cool. I also think Chels did a fantastic job of translating the ideas into polishes that are both interesting and unique.

This collection is expected to be available for sale beginning January 16th. You can purchase Pretty and Polished on their website or in their Etsy shop. You can also follow the brand on Facebook for news and upcoming polish previews.

Products sent for review.

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Elixir Lacquers Elixiversary, Missy Mayhem, and Sugar Slayer

Hey folks! In this post we're going to be checking out some new releases from Elixir Lacquers. One of these polishes is a LE, and the other two are from the new Roller Derby Ruckus Collection. Here we go!

Elixiversary is the limited edition polish, created to celebrate the one year anniversary of Elixir Lacquers. The run is limited to 75 bottles. It is a clear base filled with lots of different shapes, colors, and sizes of glitter, including giant white hexes, holographic diamonds, matte plum hexes, and teal circles, among others. I've layered one and a half dabbed coats over A-England St. George. I like the mix of glitters in this polish; it's like a big party! I did have some issues with sinking glitter though, so be sure to flip this one upside down a few minutes before your manicure. Additionally, the glitter density was on the lower side, so you may have to do some placing for full effect. Overall though, a fun polish and a great celebration of a milestone.

Missy Mayhem, from the Roller Derby Ruckus Collection, is a great mix of white, teal, and purple squares as well as smaller periwinkle glitters. I've layered one coat over Zoya Julie. The application was easy and the glitter density was good. The squares are a lot of fun! All in all, well done!

Sugar Slayer is also from the Roller Derby Ruckus Collection. There are a lot of iridescent glitters in this one, so I chose to layer it over black to show them off. Like Missy Mayhem, this one gave me no problems with application.

I couldn't resist shooting some macros, too (click to enlarge)!

Elixiversary, Missy Mayhem, Sugar Slayer

Nicole of Elixir Lacquers has also posted some additional swatch photos of Elixiversary and the Roller Derby Ruckus Collection if you are interested!

Elixiversary releases will take place at 1:00pm EST on January 16th, February 16th, and March 16th. Each release will have 25 bottles available. Once those bottles are sold, no more will be produced.

The Roller Derby Ruckus Collection will be available beginning February 1st. 

Elixir Lacquers can be purchased at www.elixirlacquers.com. You can also keep up with the brand on Facebook.

Products sent for review.

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Shimmer Polish Swatches Part III

Good afternoon! I hope you all had a nice weekend! Today's second post is another set of Shimmer Polish swatches. As with the past two, I've included a swatch and a macro. Please remember to click to enlarge, and once you reach the end of the post, you will be rewarded with a discount code!

Cristina is a tealy mix sprinkled with red. This is just one coat shown over Essence Thelma. I really like this one, I love the overall "smallness" of the pieces and the colors are just so pretty.

Jasmine is an aqua-teal, blue, and green mix. It definitely reminds me of the famous Princess Jasmine outfit from Aladdin! I've shown it here over Nicole by OPI My Lifesaver.

Leslie, shown here over China Glaze Coconut Kiss, is primarily lavenders and blues.

Lorene is a rich raspberry shade. While layering it over OPI Germanicure By OPI maybe wasn't the most informative base choice, I love the way that these two combined. They made a very sultry, velvety finished look.

Natalie is a bold mix of blues, coppers, and interesting iridescent pieces. Shown here over Zoya Cola.

Nichole is a glittery polish that makes me think of the Fourth of July! It's a mix of red, blue, and silver and I've shown it over white here. The green glitter piece in the macro is just an odd reflection on one of the silver pieces -- no green is included in this polish.

Sophie is a dusty pink blend with bits of purple. I've layered it over China Glaze Desert Sun.

Strength, shown here over China Glaze First Mate, is an icy blue-teal glitter mix with silvers and silver hearts. Sales of this polish support PCOS organizations.

As with the other Shimmers I've tried, the formula on these is fantastic. All swatches show just one coat of glitter, and they could easily be built up to opacity at two or three coats. The glitter glides on smoothly, doesn't catch on itself, and isn't thick at all. If you want more photos of these polishes, be sure to check out the listings in the Shimmer shop. There are a lot of lovely photos that will help you to paint a complete picture!

Chalkboard Nails readers can receive 15% off through this Friday! If you are shopping on Etsy, enter the code "CHALKBOARD" at checkout. If you are shopping through the Shimmer website, just mention the code in your email. You can also find Shimmer Polish on Facebook.

Products sent for review.

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